DEFENCE

Territorial Army

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were in the Territorial Army on 1 January (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

Ivor Caplin: The strength of the Territorial Army (TA) on 1 January 2004 was 38,900. This includes 3,320 Mobilised Reservists.
	The hon. Member will recall from my reply to him on 26 January that I am unable to provide comparable figures for 1 January 1997.

Defence GII Agency

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's study of the future of the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency's estate will be completed.

Adam Ingram: Initial conclusions are expected to be reached late in 2004. However, these will be subject to further consideration within the Department, within the context of other on-going estate studies. No announcement is likely before early 2005.

Joint Strike Fighter

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the introduction of the joint strike fighter.

Adam Ingram: Ministers and officials regularly discuss the progress of the Joint Strike Fighter programme with our US partners.

Nimrod Project

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with the Nimrod project.

Adam Ingram: The agreement reached with BAE Systems in February 2003, embodied in a formal contract amendment on 23 February this year, has put the Nimrod MRA4 programme on a much sounder footing for the future. Under the restructured contract, design and development and production have been separated as far as possible, to ensure that technology is adequately de-risked before making further commitment to production price and schedule. The MOD, however, has been approving low risk production activities when it makes sense to do so, where these help maintain essential skills and product knowledge as well as preserve schedule.
	While risks and challenges remain, the development and manufacture of the first three Nimrod MRA4 aircraft to be used in the flight trials programme is well under way and we are making good joint progress towards first flight this summer with the first trial aircraft having successfully undertaken low speed taxy trials at Woodford on 12 June 2004.

Armed Forces Deployment

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries members of the UK armed forces are deployed; how many individuals are deployed in each area; on what dates the deployment (a) began and (b) is expected to end; for what purpose the forces were deployed; whether each deployment was at the request of (i) the UN and (ii) another body; and what organisations are in command of UK forces in each area.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom armed forces are deployed overseas on peace-keeping and conflict prevention/resolution operations in the following countries:
	
		
			  Approx personnel numbers Year current ops started UN mission or other 
		
		
			 Middle East (Inc Iraq) 9,500 2003 Coalition 
			 Bosnia 800 1996 NATO/UK 
			 Afghanistan area 600 2002 Multinational 
			 Cyprus 410 1964 UN 
			 Kosovo 190 1999 NATO/UK 
			 Georgia 7 1993 UN 
			 Sierra Leone 20 1999 UN 
			 Dem Rep of Congo 5 1999 UN 
			 Ethiopia/ Eritrea 4 2000 UN 
			 Liberia 3 2003 UN 
		
	
	The UK's participation in all of these operations is kept under regular review. Information on other overseas deployments are provided in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2000–2003, and copies are available in the House of Commons Library (ref: HC1125).
	UK personnel remain under the ultimate command of the UK at all times. Varying degrees of local command and control are delegated to deployed commanders—including commanders from other UN, Alliance or Coalition members—in order to allow them to complete assigned tasks. In such circumstances, the UK retains a veto over specific missions and tasks given to UK personnel or formations.

Army Medal Office

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis, and with what external advice, the site of the Army Medal Office in Droitwich was (a) assessed as being suitable for residential development and (b) valued.

Ivor Caplin: The land was assessed as suitable for housing based on earlier informal contacts with the Local Planning Authority and a series of inquiries received from, or on behalf of national housebuilders. In the four years preceding the valuation date, five enquiries or re-enquiries were received of this nature. These continued approaches indicated a local demand for building land.
	The valuation was prepared by Defence Estates1 own in-house Chartered Surveyors. In making the valuation, due regard was given to knowledge gained from open market residential land transactions, while taking into account the nature of the site at Droitwich.

British Indian Ocean Territories

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK armed forces are deployed in the British Indian Ocean territories; and what use they make of the US facilities on Diego Garcia.

Adam Ingram: There is a small Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Army detachment deployed on Diego Garcia within the British Forces British Indian Ocean territory. Their use of US facilities extends to accommodation, the recreation facilities and some logistic support.

Dentists

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many dentists there were for every 3,000 members of the armed forces in (a) 1987, (b) 1997 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: The number of dentists for every 3,000 members of the UK regular forces is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of dentists 
		
		
			 1 April 1987 4.16 
			 1 April 1997 4.12 
			 1 April 2004 3.65 
		
	
	All figures are rounded to two decimal places.

Flight ZD576

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the wreckage of flight ZD576 is located.

Ivor Caplin: The wreckage of flight ZD576 is held in secure storage at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency Fleetlands in Hampshire.

Iraq

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes are planned in the nature of the deployment of British troops in Iraq after 30 June.

Geoff Hoon: On 30 June, the UK will no longer be an Occupying Power under the terms of the Geneva Conventions in Iraq. The Iraqi Government will increasingly take direct responsibility for security. Prime Minister-designate Dr. Iyad Allawi explained in his letter to the Security Council that he intends to establish appropriate security structures that will allow his Government and Iraqi security forces to progressively assume security responsibility. These structures will include the Prime Minister's Ministerial Committee for National Security which will set a broad framework for security policy and to which he will invite representatives from the multinational force as appropriate.
	In Multinational Division South-East, British forces will fully support this process. Iraqi local authorities and security forces will take responsibility for local security wherever possible on 30 June, with multinational forces in support.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current situation in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: An Interim Iraqi Government has been chosen and stands ready to assume full sovereignty and authority on 30 June. This marks the end of occupation governed by the Geneva Convention. Details of the political process have been set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which acknowledges the continued role of the multinational force in supporting the Iraqi Government. The UN Electoral Commission is preparing for full elections to the Transitional Assembly before the end of January 2005.
	In my visit to Iraq last week, I was able to see for myself the contribution personnel from the United Kingdom are making to Iraq's future. For example, they have trained some 8,000 police in the south. In Baghdad a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence team is helping the Iraqi Minister for Defence set up and develop his department, and officers from the New Iraqi Army are due shortly to begin training at Sandhurst. After 30 June, responsibility for security will pass to the Iraqi Government. The United Kingdom is fully committed to this process and the transition has already started—for example, control of the Iraqi Coastal Defence Forces, which were trained by UK personnel, was passed to the Iraqis on 12 June.

Iraq

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance British forces have provided to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission regarding military cemeteries and memorials in Iraq.

Ivor Caplin: British forces have provided security, general clearance and maintenance assistance at cemeteries and memorials in southern Iraq.
	The present climate is not conducive to the commencement of any major CWGC projects in Iraq. However, the situation will be re-assessed after the new interim Government of Iraq has assumed its responsibilities.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names are of those individuals reported to have been killed or injured as a result of action by Armed Forces personnel in Iraq in whose cases the commanding officer of the regiment concerned decided there was no case to answer.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the names of alleged Iraqi victims of abuse at the hands of UK soldiers, where these individuals are still living, in accordance with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Information on the numbers of cases where the commanding officer decided there was no case to answer is currently being collated from unit records.

Iraq

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of (a) dysentery and (b) similar conditions were reported by British Forces serving in Iraq in the year ending 31 March.

Adam Ingram: For the year ending 31 March 2004, 50 suspected cases of dysentery were reported. Central records of similar disorders are not held, and it would not be possible to calculate these except at disproportionate cost.

Official Vehicles

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of official vehicles used by his Department are run on (a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) liquid petroleum gas and (d) compressed natural gas.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1538W. The Government have signed up to various targets for improving the performance of its own vehicle fleet, details of which, together with reports on each Department's progress towards these targets, are available at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.
	The Ministry of Defence's Ministerial vehicles are provided by the Government Car Service (GCS). Detailed information on the breakdown of the GCS vehicle fleet is being provided separately.
	The MOD's non-operational fleet, which might be regarded as the official vehicle fleet, is supplied under the terms of contracts for service provision and is not owned by the Department. It is not therefore possible to provide a breakdown of vehicles used by fuel type.
	The MOD also operates a large range of operational vehicle fleets. When procuring new operational vehicles MOD ensures compliance with current domestic and EU legislation and the current NATO Single Fuel Policy. Since the acceptance and implementation of this policy by the UK in 1991, all operational vehicles procured will run on diesel or kerosene type fuels. For older vehicles, conversion programmes have been undertaken where this represents a cost-effective option for the remaining life of the fleet.

Procurement

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to improve the procurement process for equipment for the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Following a comprehensive review of the Defence Procurement Agency's performance a package of measures have been put in place to re-invigorate the Smart Acquisition measures introduced from 1998.
	This work includes strengthening the Corporate Governance within the DPA, improving key acquisition processes—including greater early investment in projects to reduce risk, making better use of available skills, knowledge and experience and building on the Department's relationship with key suppliers.
	This work complements changes to transform the acquisition processes of the Defence Logistics Organisation.

Remembrance Events

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the support given by the armed forces to remembrance and other events at Commonwealth War Graves Commission and similar sites in (a) France and (b) Belgium; and what such events have taken place in the last year.

Ivor Caplin: There were just over 1,900 UK Armed Forces personnel in Normandy for the commemorative events that took place between Saturday 5 and Monday 7 June.
	Support for other events is routinely arranged by our Defence Attaches, including the Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and the 75th Anniversary of the dedication of the Menin Gate. Unit Commanders are also able to authorise attendance at various remembrance and other events at Commonwealth War Graves Commission and former battle sites in France and Belgium throughout the year, consistent with their regimental histories.
	Attendance reports for these events are not held centrally and it is not possible to provide a report covering every event that has taken place in the last year.

Royal Irish Regiment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers and (b) ex-soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment have been (i) investigated and (ii) prosecuted in regard to fraudulent claims for payment associated with resettlement in each year since 2000.

Ivor Caplin: Information relating to fraudulent resettlement claims since 2000 by serving soldiers will take further time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House. The investigation of ex-soldiers is a matter for the appropriate civil police authority.

Royal Irish Regiment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers belonging to the Royal Irish Regiment received payments as part of their resettlement on leaving the Army in 2003; and what the average amount was.

Adam Ingram: A total of 74 soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment received payments of Individual Resettlement Training Cost grants on leaving the Army in 2003. The average amount paid was £454.29.
	There are associated travel and subsistence costs but this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Suez Medals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of how many General Service medals with Canal Zone clasps have been issued to date.

Ivor Caplin: As at last Friday 18 June the four single Service medal offices had between them cleared 9,709 cases out of the 39,666 applications so far received.
	A total of 489 Naval General Service Medals 1915–62 and 7,884 General Service Medals 1918–62 had been issued with the new clasp Canal Zone, plus another 961 clasps on their own, where recipients had previously received the medal with another clasp for other qualifying service.

UK Sites (US Use)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with the US on using UK sites for anti-ballistic missile interceptor sites.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 17 June 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1616W to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson).

UN Convention Against Torture

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued to UK service personnel on whether the use of hoods on detainees constitutes inhuman treatment for the purposes of the UN Convention Against Torture.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 13 May 2004
	The directive issued by the Chief of Joint Operations to the Commander of British Forces in Iraq covers methods that may be used when obscuring vision, and circumstances in which these methods may be applied. Hoods will not be used when apprehending or detaining Iraqi citizens in Iraq.
	Although the armed forces do not generally hood detainees, the MOD does not believe that the use of hoods on apprehended persons amounts to torture or inhuman treatment for the purposes of the UN Convention in all circumstances. There are occasions on which we believe its use to be appropriate, for example, the temporary obscuring of vision by hooding or other methods to prevent persons who have been apprehended from recognising their locations or other apprehended persons. We do not believe that the use of hoods is acceptable during questioning.

Veterans

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in producing a comprehensive document outlining his Department's support for armed forces veterans.

Ivor Caplin: In March 2003 the Ministry of Defence launched the 'Strategy for Veterans'. This was the result of work which aimed to establish a structured relationship between key deliverers of services to veterans across government and the voluntary and corporate sectors. It also established a strategic framework to assist all areas of Government to develop policies and activities affecting United Kingdom veterans. The document outlines three principal areas of activity: optimising arrangements for transition from Service to civilian life; ensuring that appropriate help is given to those veterans who need it; and increasing the recognition of veterans and their achievements by the wider society.

PRIME MINISTER

Chief Adviser on Delivery

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the (a) powers and (b) duties of his Chief Adviser on Delivery.

Tony Blair: As Chief Adviser on Delivery, Professor Michael Barber advises me on delivery of the Government's public service priorities, including the joint Cabinet Office/Treasury Public Service Agreement target:
	'Improve public services by working with departments to help them meet their PSA targets, consistently with the fiscal rules.'

Iraq

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when Saddam Hussein is to be handed over to the Iraqi authorities.

Tony Blair: Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi has confirmed that criminal proceedings will be brought against Saddam Hussein and President Bush has confirmed the intention of the US to pass Saddam Hussein to the Iraqi authorities to face criminal prosecution. The Iraqi authorities and the US are in discussions about the transfer.

Lord Lieutenants

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister how many lord lieutenants and deputy lieutenants in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire were (i) Masons and (ii) members of political parties in the last 10 years.

Tony Blair: The information requested is not held centrally. Lord lieutenants and deputy lieutenants are of course aware that their role is essentially non-political and impartial.

Minister Without Portfolio

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the work of the Minister without Portfolio.

Tony Blair: Details of the responsibilities for the Minister without Portfolio can be found in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

US Military Activities

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions took place in his recent meetings with the US President concerning US military activities on Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I regularly discuss a wide range of issues with President Bush. As with previous administrations, it is not the practice of this Government to make public all the details of discussions with foreign Governments.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

D-day Commemorations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many D-Day veterans benefited from Lottery and Government money to revisit the beaches.

Estelle Morris: The National Lottery Veterans Reunited initiative includes the Heroes Return scheme, which provides Lottery funding to help Second World War veterans arrange commemorative visits to the overseas areas where British Armed Forces served in the Second World War. Through Heroes Return, over £1.9 million has already been awarded to veterans, their wives and husbands, widows and widowers and, where required, their present day carers, to return to the overseas areas where the veterans saw active service. Of the funding awarded so far, £1.2 million has been awarded for visits to Normandy. The funding has enabled over 4,200 people, including over 2,100 veterans, to travel to Normandy this month.

D-day Commemorations

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance her Department provided to the D-day 60th Anniversary events and commemorations.

Estelle Morris: The Department did not assist directly in the commemorations, but funding has been made available through the National Lottery Veterans Reunited initiative to ensure that all generations of UK residents can commemorate the momentous events that led to the end of the Second World War. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State first announced our intention to provide Lottery support in this area last October.
	The Veterans Reunited initiative has three strands: Their Past, Your Future, focusing on activities for schools and young people; Heroes Return, focusing on overseas visits for veterans and their carers; and Home Front Recall, providing funding for events and activities in the UK. The initiative has an overall budget of over £25 million and will continue making awards until the end of 2005.
	Through Heroes Return, over £1.9 million has already been awarded to veterans, their wives and husbands, widows and widowers and, where required, their present day carers, to return to the overseas areas where the veterans saw active service. Of the funding awarded so far, £1.2 million has been awarded for visits to Normandy. The funding has enabled over 4,200 people, including over 2,100 veterans, to travel to Normandy this month.
	One of the elements of Their Past, Your Future was a competition with opportunities for schools to win visits to the D-Day commemorations. The first prize winners were Abbey Grange School in Leeds and a party of pupils and teachers joined the official 60th anniversary cruise and commemorations. Further visits are planned for schools later in the year to commemorate other major events such as Arnhem.
	Home Front Recall was the most recent element of the Veterans Reunited programme to be launched. One of the first awards to be made was to allow the Rotherham branch of Normandy veterans to travel to Portsmouth for the official D-Day commemorations.

Greyhounds

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the turnover was for bookmakers on greyhound racing in 2003.

Richard Caborn: This information is not collected by the Department; but I understand that the British Greyhound Racing Board estimate that the total turnover of on and off-course betting in 2003 was about £3 billion.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many journeys were made by helicopter by each Minister in her Department and its predecessors in each of the last 10 years; and what the journey length was in each case.

Tessa Jowell: I have been unable to recover information about helicopter trips taken by Ministers in this Department before the General Election in 2001. Since then there has been one helicopter journey made by me on 24 September 2003. The journey was from Tirana to Butrint in Albania and back again. The approximate distance was 99 miles each way, so 198 miles in total.
	None of the other Ministers have made journeys by helicopter.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles were removed by local authorities in Greater London in each year since 1997, broken down by borough.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 7 June 2004
	Statistics for abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed were first compiled in the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2000–01. Results for authorities in London are available for 2000–01 and 2001–02. Results for 2002–03 are supplemented by results from the Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey 2002–03.
	Numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed by each London borough and Waste Collection Authority are listed as follows:
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,761 n/a 3,201 
			 Barnet 3,287 4,431 3,940 
			 Bexley 1,356 1,776 2,391 
			 Brent 3,471 4,115 4,184 
			 Bromley 3,895 4,215 3,129 
			 Camden 1,629 1,897 1,676 
			 City of London n/a n/a 158 
			 Croydon 2,878 4,376 4,200 
			 Ealing 3,754 4,916 3,975 
			 Enfield 4,711 6,347 4,973 
			 Greenwich 3,120 4,200 4,429 
			 Hackney 2,700 4,066 3,609 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,430 1,473 2,188 
			 Haringey 6,500 (1)4,560 5,900 
			 Harrow 1,914 (1)2,249 2,650 
			 Havering 1,250 3,126 2,086 
			 Hillingdon 2,286 3,128 3,741 
			 Hounslow 2,247 3,118 3,125 
			 Islington 2,619 3,643 2,748 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 195 232 265 
			 Kingston upon Thames 739 2,159 3,053 
			 Lambeth 3,308 3,775 3,577 
			 Lewisham 5,000 4,671 3,554 
			 Merton 1,683 2140 2,165 
			 Newham 6,704 8,117 3,105 
			 Redbridge 1,562 2,219 2,005 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,201 1,201 970 
			 Southwark 1,934 2,848 2,245 
			 Sutton 1,651 2,166 2,055 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a n/a 2,781 
			 Waltham Forest 2,716 3,466 3,351 
			 Wandsworth 2,571 2,794 2,753 
			 Westminster 496 333 336 
			 London total 83,900 104,500 94,500 
		
	
	n/a=results not available.
	(1) for 2001–02=GLA estimate.

Abandoned Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage change in the number of abandoned vehicles in England and Wales was in each year since 1997–98.

Elliot Morley: Figures for numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed in England were first collected in the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2000–01. Results for 2002–03 are supplemented by the Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey for 2002–03.
	Figures for 2001–02 showed an increase of 28 per cent. from 2000–01.
	Figures for 2002–03 showed an increase of 8 per cent. from 2001–02.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish, by payment area, the compensation paid to farmers for each bovine TB breakdown for each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: TB compensation paid to farmers in relation to cattle for England, Scotland and Wales for the period 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 is detailed in the following table. A more detailed breakdown is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		£
		
			 Payment area 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 England 6,933,629 23,576,532 24,093,542 
			 Scotland 45,788 226,570 538,449 
			 Wales 2,264,024 8,137,810 9,782,904 
			 Total compensation paid to  farmers in Great Britain 9,243,441 31,940,912 34,414,895

Fisheries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with British trawlermen who are fishing or who aim to fish off the disputed waters of Western Sahara.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK Government has had no discussions with British trawlermen about fishing in the waters of Western Sahara and is not aware of any existing or anticipated fishing activities in that area.

Galapagos Islands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Government of Ecuador to ensure that the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands is not adversely affected by activities of fishermen protesting against quotas.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	Our Ambassador in Quito has made clear our concerns for the safety of foreign scientists to the Ecuadorean authorities, including the Minister of the Environment. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, through its Darwin Initiative is funding two UK organisations to carry out biodiversity conservation research projects on the Galapagos Islands and is in close communication with them regarding any security concerns. At present, neither project personnel or project work have been adversely affected by the protests.

Hazardous Waste

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) location and (b) capacity is of each site presently licensed for (i) hazardous and (ii) contaminated waste, broken down by region; which sites will continue to be licensed for such waste after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive; and which sites (A) are and (B) will be licensed to take contaminated soil.

Elliot Morley: The location of each site presently licensed for hazardous waste is set out in a table which I have placed in the library (table 1). These are the sites for which operators submitted a conditioning plan to the Environment Agency on 16 July 2002, outlining their proposals for meeting the requirements of the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002. From 16 July 2004, when the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste ends, the majority of these sites will revert to a non-hazardous classification.
	Sites whose operators have applied for permits for their respective sites to receive hazardous waste after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive are set out in two further tables which I have placed in the Library (tables 2 and 3).
	The 22 applications listed in table 2 are for permits to become merchant or in-house landfills for hazardous waste. The identity of two of the in-house landfills in table 2 cannot be revealed for reasons of national security.
	The 35 applications listed in table 3 are for permits for sites to contain single cells for the disposal of stable, non-reactive hazardous wastes.
	Data on capacity of individual hazardous waste sites is not held centrally. Most types of waste are 'contaminated'. Approximately 1,000 landfills are licensed and permitted to take waste for disposal in England and Wales.
	The Environment Agency has no centrally stored information on which sites are presently licensed to take contaminated soil.
	One merchant landfill site has been granted a permit to take contaminated soil after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive: at Purton Brickworks (table 2, number 1). The operators of two merchant landfill sites have applications still under consideration for permits to take contaminated soils after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive: at Eardswick Hall (table 2, number 6); and at Whitemoss (table 2, number 7).

Hazardous Waste

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Environment Agency has to encourage the cement and lime industry to become major operators of hazardous waste incinerators; and whether the Agency has considered plans to locate an incinerator at Lostock Gralam in Cheshire.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency takes no part in the commercial decisions of industry to undertake specific activities and is not aware of any applications from the cement and lime industry to operate hazardous waste incinerators. Several cement and lime operators are permitted to incinerate hazardous wastes as substitutes for conventional fuels used in the cement-making process, such as coal and petroleum coke. This is only permitted where the operator can demonstrate to the Agency's satisfaction that no net detriment to the environment results in comparison with the use of conventional fuels alone.
	The Agency has not received an application for an incinerator at Lostock Gralam in Cheshire.

Hazardous Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans she has put in place to deal with hazardous waste following the forthcoming ban on co-disposal, with particular reference to warehousing and other storage facilities.

Elliot Morley: The Government and the Environment Agency are monitoring closely waste industry plans for the provision of treatment and disposal capacity, and the response of waste producers. For example, a recent survey of the chemical industry, as reported to the Hazardous Waste Forum, shows that waste producers in that sector do not envisage difficulty in meeting the Landfill Directive requirements. Waste producers should ensure that they are meeting in full the requirements of their duty of care and avoid the need for warehousing or storage of waste over and above that which normally occurs.

Heat Pumps

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to encourage the development of (a) ground source and (b) air source heat pumps.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Trade and Industry (Mr. Stephen Timms) on 10 June 2004, Official Report, column 564W.

Landfill Sites

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which body is responsible for (a) decontamination and (b) preventing the leachate if a closed landfill site begins to leak contaminants into the water supply or environment.

Elliot Morley: Under the provisions of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000, enacted in January 2004, the quality of a public, potable water supply to a consumer's premises (up to the tap) is the responsibility of the relevant water undertaker for that location. This includes responsibility for decontamination.
	If a closed landfill site begins to leak contaminants into the water supply in England and Wales, responsibility for the overall process of preventing the leachate is divided. The Environment Agency is responsible for 'investigating' the incident. The body (or person) who causes or knowingly permits the pollution of controlled waters is responsible for 'remedying' the pollution. The Environment Agency in turn is responsible for 'ensuring' that the body (or person) who caused or knowingly permitted the pollution takes remedial action. The Agency has powers to prosecute the perpetrator of the pollution in these circumstances.
	The Drinking Water Inspectorate investigates incidents affecting drinking water quality. Local authorities are required to monitor the quality of private water supplies, namely those not provided by a water undertaker.
	Responsibility for the aftercare and maintenance of closed landfill sites, including the prevention of environmental pollution, will depend on the legislation that was in force at the time the landfill site ceased operations. Sites that closed before the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 were subject to a different regime to the one currently in place.

Landfill Sites

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Castle Point, of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1292W, on landfill sites, how many offences were identified for each year from 2000 to 2003; and what the (a) highest, (b) average and (c) lowest fine was in each year.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency's data in the following table on landfill pollution charges relates to events which were categorised having a major (category 1), significant (category 2) or minor (category 3) environmental impact. No environmental impact (category 4) incidents included in the previous answer have not been included, as the offences did not involve the release of pollutants.
	
		Landfill pollution charges
		
			  Total charges Enforcement notices Cautions Prosecutions Total fines (£) Highest fine (£) Lowest fine (£) Average fine (£) 
		
		
			 2000 5 0 0 (2)5 36,000 20,000 2,000 9,000 
			 2001 19 0 4 (3)15 15,500 8,000 7,500 7,750 
			 2002 20 1 5 (4)15 103,250 15,000 6,000 10,325 
			 2003 29 0 10 (5)19 30,000 10,000 1,000 3,333 
		
	
	(2) Five convictions (four fines, one conditional discharge).
	(3) Two convictions (both with fines), 13 acquittals.
	(4) 10 convictions (all with fines), five acquittals.
	(5) 15 convictions (nine fines, three absolute discharges, three no evidence offered), four acquittals.

Pesticides Tax

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on a pesticides tax.

Alun Michael: A Voluntary Initiative to reduce the environmental damage caused by the agricultural use of pesticides has been in place since April 2001. In Budget 2004 the Government confirmed the view that the initiative will be effective in reducing the environmental pollution associated with pesticides provided that it is fully implemented. However, to cover the possibility that the initiative might not deliver the required environmental benefits within a reasonable time scale, the Government have kept the options for a tax or economic instrument under review.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Departmental Decisions (Judicial Review)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in session (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99 and (c) 1999–2000; and in how many cases the (i) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (ii) court found for the applicant, (iii) Department submitted to the judgment and (iv) Department appealed successfully against the decision;
	(2)  which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in the session 2002–03; and in how many cases the (a) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (b) court found for the applicant, (c) Department submitted to the judgment and (d) Department appealed successfully against the decision.

Paul Goggins: There are no central records containing the information sought. This could be obtained only by consulting individual case files and would involve disproportionate cost. There are no central records containing the information sought. This could be obtained only by consulting individual case files and would involve disproportionate cost. The Administrative Court's records are organised by reference to the subject matter of judicial review claims, not the government department concerned. They contain the following information for immigration and asylum claims, which make up more than 90 per cent. of the judicial review cases brought against the Home Office.
	
		Asylum, October2002 to November 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Claims received 2,693 
			 Claims allowed 36 
		
	
	
		Non-Asylum Immigration Cases, October 2002 to November 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Claims received 272 
			 Claims allowed 2 
		
	
	
		Asylum, October 1997 to September 2000
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Claims received 5,748 
			 Claims allowed (6)685 
		
	
	(6) which is 11.9 per cent. of the total
	
		Non-Asylum Immigration Cases, October 1997 to September 2000
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Claims received 1,117 
			 Claims allowed (7)50 
		
	
	(7) which is 4.5 per cent. of the total
	These figures show that in the period in question of the immigration judicial review cases brought against the Home Office only 10.7 per cent. were successful.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in (a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland have been given a drug treatment and testing order in each year for which figures are available who otherwise would have received a prison sentence of over six months.

Paul Goggins: Information about how many offenders in England and Wales and Scotland given a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) who would otherwise have received a prison sentence of over six months is not available.
	It is impossible to predict with any degree of accuracy what the outcome of cases where a DTTO was made would have been if the DTTO had not been available as a sentencing option. However, the DTTO is targeted at offenders with entrenched patterns of drug misuse who have generally committed a considerable amount of crime to fund their drug habit. While the vast majority of DTTO cases are likely to be heard in the magistrates courts, a significant number (perhaps as many as a quarter) of offenders on DTTOs are sentenced at Crown court. In view of the frequency and seriousness of offences committed by offenders in the target group, we anticipate that a significant proportion of those who are sentenced to DTTOs would otherwise have been sent to prison.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment and testing orders were made in Crosby in 2003–04.

Paul Goggins: According to data from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, 60 drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs) were commenced within the area covered by Sefton Drug Action Team in 2003–04, of which five related to residents of Crosby.

Electoral Fraud

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the sentencing guidelines for electoral fraud to strengthen their deterrent effect.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department does not issue or review sentencing guidelines. That is a matter for the Sentencing Guidelines Council. However, I will keep this matter under review and if it appears that guidelines are necessary I may ask the Sentencing Guidelines Council to consider the issue.

ICT

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his targets are for improving the information and communication technology (ICT) skills base of staff within (a) his Department and (b) its agencies; and what method he uses to certify the competence levels achieved by staff receiving training in ICT.

Fiona Mactaggart: Through the formal performance and development reporting process line managers would normally assess the competencies of staff in using information and communication technology (ICT) to carry out their work.
	The target for the Home Office and its agencies (excluding non-departmental public bodies) is for all staff to obtain the standard competency level in the computer systems that they use regularly (e.g.Word processing).
	The Home Office has developed a strategy that identifies the skills required and creates opportunities for staff to develop and make best use of the technology available to them. Across the Home Office and its agencies we have defined IT competencies that are aligned with European standards, such as the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This is the internationally recognised qualification used in over 125 European countries, which enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills.
	As part of the rollout of new PC software across the Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate the Home Office intends to provide access to electronic learning tools for all core computer systems.
	Furthermore the Home Office will also provide opportunities for staff to gain advanced level competencies and qualification through the British Computer Society and the internationally recognised Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total funding of the National Criminal Intelligence Service has been in each year since its inception; and how many (a) directly employed staff, (b) contracted in staff and (c) seconded officers it had in each year.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 June 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr. Brady) on 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1699W.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 863 W.

Probation Hostels

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation hostels are operational in England and Wales; how many places were available in probation hostels in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of those places were occupied by (a) bailees and (b) convicted sex offenders.

Paul Goggins: There are 100 approved premises in England and Wales. During March 2004 2,198 places were available. No central data are available on the number of places occupied by bailees or those convicted of sexual offences.

Probation Service

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost per square metre of providing office and storage space for the National Probation Service in Central London was in 2003.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 10 June 2004
	The cost of providing office and storage space in 200203 for the London Probation Area was 11,726,000, equivalent to 223 per square metre.
	With effect from 200304, all costs across the whole of the National Probation Estate were paid centrally and pooled. The national average cost per square metre was set at 180.
	The London Probation Area had their grant reduced by 1,734,000 in recognition of the fact that their costs have been reduced as a consequence of the national pooling arrangement.

Secure Training Centres

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the police have been called to secure training centres in each of the last five years; and for what reasons.

Paul Goggins: Police attendance's at secure training centres (STCs) are not individually recorded.

Sex Offenders

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of residents in probation hostels are convicted sex offenders.

Paul Goggins: We do not maintain a central record of the number of residents in approved premises who have been convicted of sexual offences.

Sex Offenders

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were on the sex offenders' register on 1 May.

Paul Goggins: The 200304 Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements annual reports, which will provide statistics on the number of registered sex offenders living in the community on 31 March 2004, will be published later this year.

Victim Care Charities

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will change his policy of charging victim care charities market rents for office space created for agencies working closely with the criminal justice system in new magistrates courts.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	Magistrates courts are expected to provide office space at no cost for 'Support Care Staff' for the use of referring to papers and conducting occasional interviews while at the courthouse. Agreement on the provision of accommodation is reached on this basis. Should the requirement of victim care charities exceed this agreement, negotiations are made locally. However, the launch of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) in April 2005 will provide an opportunity to assess all current estates, contracts and maintenance arrangements and deliver seamless integration of the Court Service and magistrates courts estates to improve and provide efficient services.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

David Drew: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Harriet Harman: I would refer the hon. Member to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Annual Report.
	The CPS is the principal public prosecuting authority for England and Wales, handling criminal cases investigated by the police.
	The following table provides some key figures on the volume of cases handled by the service in 2003 and in the two preceding years; and the outcome of those cases.
	While these figures support the view that the CPS makes a valuable contribution to the delivery of justice, the Service has set itself further challenging targets for 200405. In this year, it will seek to build on its success and reduce the proportion of unsuccessful outcomes by 11 per cent. as compared with the levels seen in 200102. This will contribute to the achievement of the wider criminal justice system target of bringing 1.2 million offences to justice in 200506. The CPS will also contribute to the reduction in the numbers of ineffective trials to 18.5 per cent. in the Crown court and 24.5 per cent. in the magistrates court.
	To achieve these targets, the main priority for the CPS in 200405 is to introduce the statutory charging scheme, where prosecutors will determine the charges to be preferred in the more serious cases. This follows the success of pilots in 200203 and of the shadow charging scheme in 200304. The CPS will also take a leading role in introducing the no witness, no justice arrangements to provide much better information and support to witnesses throughout their involvement in the criminal justice system.
	These activities are designed to move the CPS towards achieving its vision of being a world-class, independent prosecuting authority that delivers a valued public service.
	
		Crown Prosecution Service case outcomes
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Magistrates courts 
			 Finalised of which 1,373,426  1,411,903  1,485,408  
			 Pre-charge advice 45,580  57,505  117,172  
			 Non-criminal proceedings 11,063  9,221  15,337  
			  
			 Case outcomes 
			 Discontinuances (including bind overs) 198,908 16.2 197,940 15.7 181,423 14.3 
			 Warrants etc. 73,790 6.0 78,758 6.3 73,432 5.8 
			 Committals discharged 766 0.1 931 0.1 1,693 0.1 
			 Dismissals no case to answer 1,632 0.1 1,722 0.1 2,575 0.2 
			 Dismissals after trial 14,645 1.2 15,458 1.2 15,852 1.3 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes 289,741 23.5 294,809 23.4 274,975 21.7 
			 Guilty pleas 786,380 63.9 803,859 63.9 799,354 63.2 
			 Proofs in absence 117,882 9.6 119,659 9.5 144,521 11.4 
			 Convictions after trial 37,167 3.0 39,516 3.1 46,933 3.7 
			 Total convictions 941,429 76.5 963,034 76.6 990,808 78.3 
			 Committals to the Crown court 89,603  92,114  96,382  
			
			 Crown court   
			 Finalised 112,438  123,754  126,949  
			 Committals for sentence 18,460  19,940  19,615  
			 Appeals 11,568  11,763  11,384  
			
			 Case outcomes   
			 Judge ordered acquittals (including bind overs) 12,744 15.2 14,340 15.3 14,751 15.1 
			 Warrants etc. 1,445 1.7 1,739 1.9 1,914 2.0 
			 Judge directed acquittals 1,495 1.8 1,442 1.5 1,565 1.6 
			 Jury acquittals 6,630 7.9 6,402 6.8 6,874 7.0 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes 22,314 26.7 23,922 25.6 25,104 25.6 
			 Guilty pleas 50,597 60.4 57,024 60.9 59,701 61.0 
			 Convictions after trial 10,803 12.9 12,677 13.5 13,076 13.4 
			 Total convictions 61,400 73.3 69,701 74.4 72,777 74.4 
		
	
	Figures for 2003 are provisional, and may be subject to revision.

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps she is taking to increase the number of lawyers in Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service.

Harriet Harman: CPS Merseyside currently has the equivalent of 82.74 full-time lawyers. The figures for 2001 to 2003 are 71.3, 78.3 and 79.6 respectively.
	CPS Merseyside is actively recruiting prosecutors and, in addition to national advertising campaigns, advertisements have been placed in the regional and local press in the north west and in legal and minority ethnic publications. CPS Merseyside also uses continuous online recruitment via the internet. Candidates can apply at any time and, if they meet the minimum standards, can be called for interview very quickly.
	Through the CPS Law Scholarship Scheme, CPS Merseyside has three former caseworkers who are now legal trainees, two of whom will qualify as lawyers before the end of the year and will be eligible to apply for posts as crown prosecutors.

Criminal Justice (Bexley)

John Austin: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  if she will list members of the Bexley Criminal Justice Board; if she will list the (a) dates and (b) attendees of meetings held in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has received for the transfer of responsibility for Bexley from the Croydon Prosecution Service Office to the City Office; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the discharge committals, discontinuance and ineffective trial rates in (a) Bexley and (b) London; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  if she will visit Bexley magistrates court and Bexley division of the Metropolitan police to discuss the role and performance of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Harriet Harman: I understand that the hon. Member has now received my letter which answers these points. For the benefit of Members, I will place a copy of that letter in the Library.

Departmental Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the Solicitor-General how much the production of the Law Officers' Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge.

Harriet Harman: The Law Officers' Departmental Report 2004 was presented to Parliament on 30 April 2004.
	The Stationery Office (TSO) provided the Law Officers' Departments with 240 copies of the Report, at a cost of 5,160. Other costs of printing further copies are met directly by TSO as the publisher, and do not fall to the Government.
	The Law Officers' Departments will send a small number of copies free of charge to other Government Departments and to members of the public on request.
	The Departmental Report is being made available on the Law Officers' Departmental websites and is on sale at TSO at a cover price of 12.25.
	There has been insufficient time since publication for TSO to provide any meaningful information on the number of reports sold at cover price.
	The Crown Prosecution Service also published an Annual Report from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General. The 200203 Annual Report from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General cost the Crown Prosecution Service 35740.80 to produce 4,000 copies. Copies of the Annual Report were distributed throughout the Crown Prosecution Service's 42 geographical Areas in England and Wales. In addition, copies of the Annual Report were sent by the Director, the Chief Executive and others at CPS Headquarters, to other Government Departments and criminal justice system partners. Free copies of the Annual Report will also have been distributed to key members of the community in local Areas, visitors to Crown Prosecution Service offices and as part of publicity or careers campaigns in our Areas.
	The most recent report published by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate covered the period 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002. It was published on 5 February 2003. Publication of the report was handled by TSO who met the costs of printing and publication. Information about those costs is not available to HMCPSI. The company used its commercial judgment as to the total number of copies printed.
	TSO supplied 650 copies to HMCPSI at a cost of 11,580.40a small number remain in stock. The rest were distributed free of charge. The majority were distributed within the Crown Prosecution Service, Government Departments, other organisations and individuals associated with the criminal justice system such as the judiciary and Chief Constables. Copies were also sent to national media organisations, several academic institutions and other individuals with an interest in the CPS. Additionally, the report is available for download free of charge from the HMCPSI website. HMCPSI does not record how many times or by whom the report has been downloaded.
	It is estimated that 260 copies were sold at cover price (15.70) by TSO. None were sold by HMCPSI.
	The cost of producing the Serious Fraud Office Annual Report 200203 was 31,243: 2,200 copies were printed. Of these 350 were retained by The Stationery Office limited for sale mostly to a subscription list, at a cover price of 13.60: 186 were sold. The remaining 1,850 copies were used by the SFO throughout the year.
	Complementary copies were sent by the SFO on the publication date to police organisations and selected Government authorities and judicial bodies in the UK and overseas and to appropriate educational establishments and members of the press.
	Sufficient copies are held in stock for distribution throughout the year.

Genocide

Mike Hancock: To ask the Solicitor-General what definition the Government use of the crime of genocide.

Harriet Harman: By virtue of section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001 it is an offence under the law of England and Wales for a person to commit genocide. Genocide is defined in section 50(1) of the 2001 Act by reference to the definition of genocide in Article 6 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, done at Rome on 17 July 1998. Article 6 of the ICC Statute, which is set out in Schedule 8 to the 2001 Act, states that genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
	(a) killing members of the group;
	(b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
	(c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
	(d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
	(e) forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
	Equivalent provision is made in relation to Northern Ireland by section 58 of the 2001 Act and in relation to Scotland by section 1 of the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001.

TREASURY

Rochdale Constituency

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) ethnicity;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale over the last seven years; and what percentage of long-term (i) adult and (ii) youth employed are (A) women and (B) of Asian origin;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment of people of ethnic minorities in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale over the last seven years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, and I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Ms Lorna Fitzsimons, dated 21 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about unemployment in the Parliamentary Constituency of Rochdale. (178550, 178540 and 178541).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 overleaf gives the available information for levels of unemployment by gender in the Rochdale Parliamentary Constituency covering the 12 months ending February of 1997 and of each year from 2000 to 2003.
	Estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any statistical sample survey, estimates for the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies. Table 2 overleaf gives the annual average number of ISA claimants, and the average number claiming for over 12 months by gender and age group in the Rochdale Constituency for each year since 1997 to 2003.
	
		Table 1: Unemployment levels in the Rochdale parliamentary constituency, 12 months ending February of the years 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 (not seasonally adjusted) -- thousands
		
			  Total Male Female 
		
		
			 1997 (8) (8) (8) 
			 2000 (8) (8) (8) 
			 2001 3 2 (8) 
			 2002 3 2 (8) 
			 2003 4 2 (8) 
		
	
	(8) Estimates not shown owing to the small sample size.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: Annual average number of JSA claimants, and those claiming for over 12 months, by gender and age group Rochdale parliamentary constituency, 19972003
		
			   Male 
			  All ages 18 to 24 years 25 to 49 years 50 plus years 
		
		
			 All claimants 
			 1997 2,448 678 1,451 294 
			 1998 2,297 651 1,344 281 
			 1999 2,128 560 1,278 268 
			 2000 1,782 491 1,052 217 
			 2001 1,598 445 963 177 
			 2002 1,672 451 1,006 198 
			 2003 1,685 483 960 215 
			  
			 People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only) 
			 1997 669 107 462 100 
			 1998 571 82 391 99 
			 1999 474 23 343 108 
			 2000 338 7 263 69 
			 2001 237 (9) 185 49 
			 2002 218 (9) 164 51 
			 2003 223 (9) 156 65 
		
	
	
		
			   Female 
			  All ages 18 to 24 years 25 to 49 years 50 plus years 
		
		
			 All claimants 
			 1997 597 288 216 77 
			 1998 583 267 225 75 
			 1999 536 230 221 69 
			 2000 464 207 191 53 
			 2001 409 179 165 47 
			 2002 442 195 183 52 
			 2003 470 207 186 57 
			  
			 People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only) 
			 1997 103 37 42 23 
			 1998 90 36 38 17 
			 1999 67 8 41 19 
			 2000 51 (9) 34 15 
			 2001 35 (9) 24 10 
			 2002 25 (9) 15 8 
			 2003 33 (9) 21 11 
		
	
	
		
			   All 
			  All ages 18 to 24 years 25 to 49 years 50 plus years 
		
		
			 All claimants 
			 1997 3,045 966 1,667 371 
			 1998 2,880 918 1,568 355 
			 1999 2,663 789 1,498 337 
			 2000 2,246 697 1,244 270 
			 2001 2,007 625 1,128 224 
			 2002 2,114 646 1,189 250 
			 2003 2,155 690 1,146 272 
			  
			 People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only) 
			 1997 772 145 504 123 
			 1998 661 117 428 115 
			 1999 541 30 384 127 
			 2000 389 9 296 84 
			 2001 272 5 209 58 
			 2002 242 (9) 179 59 
			 2003 256 (9) 177 75 
		
	
	(9) These figures are not shown to protect the confidentiality of individuals.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

Counterfeit Notes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit notes in circulation; and what steps he is taking to make counterfeiting more difficult.

Ruth Kelly: The Bank of England, which produces and issues most UK banknotes, records the number of counterfeit notes discovered in circulation. In recent years, this number has remained at a very small fraction of 1 per cent. of the total number of notes in circulation.
	The Bank ensures that its notes are designed to discourage counterfeiters. The current series of notes in circulation have certain security features, which not only make it difficult to counterfeit notes, but also make it easy to determine whether or not a note is genuine.
	To assist the public with identifying counterfeit notes, a leaflet entitled Know your Banknotes is available upon request or downloadable from the Bank's website. This describes the identity and security features of current notes, and provides advice on how to check for counterfeits.
	When notes are introduced or withdrawn from circulation, this is advertised prominently in the national and local press and via posters and leaflets. This also minimises the risk of counterfeits of old series notes being passed and accepted.

Death Certificates

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the General Registrar for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Robertson dated 21 June 2004
	As Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK. (179571)
	Certificates issued by doctors certifying the cause of death in other EU countries can't be accepted by a registrar in England or Wales for the purposes of formally registering a death. Registrars may register only those deaths which have taken place in their district and which have been certified by a registered medical practitioner who looked after the deceased during their last illness, or by a coroner.
	Certificates of deaths registered in other EU countries may be admissible in the UK for more general purposes. It is for the organisation requesting the death certificate to be satisfied that it meets their requirements.

Employment (North-west)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in (a) St Helens South, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West in each year since 2001.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward dated 21 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about jobs created in the North West. (178113)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.
	The attached table shows the information requested, relating to jobs in St Helen's South Parliamentary Constituency, St Helen's unitary authority, the Merseyside Government office region and the North West Government office region for 2000 to 2002.
	The majority of the increase in jobs in St Helen's South seen between 2000 and 2002 occurred in the real estate, renting and business activities sector. At least one major business site in this sector was opened in the area during the period.
	
		Total number of employees(10), and annual change in numberAreas as shown, 2000, 2001 and 2002
		
			  Number of employees Change Change 
			 Workplace location 2000 2001 2002 200001 2 200102 2 
		
		
			 St Helen's South 34,900 42,000 44,700 7,100 2,800 
			 St Helen's unitary authority 56,100 63,400 67,200 7,300 3,800 
			 Merseyside 503,100 526,800 550,300 23,700 23,500 
			 North West 2,846,000 2,894,700 2,974,100 48,700 79,400 
		
	
	(10) Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs
	(11) The change figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred separately from rounded levels for individual years
	Source:
	Annual Business Inquiry (ABI)

Environmentally Sustainable Purchasing

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of progress by Government departments in implementing recommendations of the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Office of Government Commerce Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: Ministers in all departments have signed up to the approach outlined in the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the DEFRA/OGC Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing. DEFRA will be collecting information on implementation from all departments for inclusion in the Sustainable Development in Government Report, which will be published in the autumn.

Pensioner Concessions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will fund (a) free old age pensioner travel and (b) free television licences for all old age pensioners at the next budget.

Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor of the Exchequer receives many proposals for measures to include in his Budget.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that older and disabled people have full opportunities to maintain their independence and utilise our public transport network while improving local transport for all.
	The Transport Act 2000 brought in the statutory minimum requirement for local authority concessionary fares to ensure that older and disabled people are entitled to half fares or better on their local bus services, with no additional charge being levied for the pass.
	Anything provided above the statutory minimum is a matter for local authorities.
	We believe that in England the current system offers the best combination of ensuring that pensioners receive a full opportunity to benefit from public transport, while also allowing decisions to be made that fully reflect local circumstances.
	The Chancellor announced the introduction of free TV licences for those aged over 75, in his pre-Budget report in November 2000. Over 3.5 million pensioner households benefit from access to free TV licences, at a cost of some 380 million a year.

Road Fuel Duty

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of defraying for a year a one pence per litre increase in duty on petrol and diesel.

John Healey: Estimates of the revenue yield from an increase in road fuel duty rates were published in table 6 of the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs alongside the 2003 pre-Budget report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Road Fuel Duty

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional tax revenue accrues to the Treasury from each one pence rise in (a) the market price of crude oil and (b) the pump price of (i) petrol and (ii) diesel.

John Healey: The overall impact of higher oil and road fuel prices on tax revenues and the public finances is complex as they will increase some tax revenues and Government expenditures while decreasing others, depending on their wider impact on the economy in general. Reliable estimates of the impact of changes in prices are not available.

Suicide

Phil Willis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides of (a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 15 June 2004
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Phil Willis, dated 21 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many suicides of (a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997. (178941)
	The most recent available data are for the calendar year 2002. Figures for each year from 1997 to 2002 are given in the attached table.
	
		Number of deaths at ages under 18 from intentional self harm(12) and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted 2, United Kingdom, 1997 to 2002 3
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Intentional self harm at ages under 18 
			 (a) All 48 64 55 75 50 64 
			 (b) 14 and over 47 60 52 70 47 59 
			
			 Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted 4 at ages under 18 
			 (a) All 68 59 56 63 46 49 
			 (b) 14 and over 47 41 40 47 35 36 
		
	
	(12) The cause of death for intentional self harm was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD-9) codes E950-E959and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84. ICD-JO was introduced in Scotland in 2000 and in Northern Ireland, and England and Wales in 2001.
	(13) The cause of death for injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for England and Wales, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending for England and Wales.
	(14) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year for Scotland and Northern Ireland and for deaths occurring in each calendar year for England and Wales.
	(15) In routine statistics, ONS defines suicides as deaths from suicide and deaths from 'injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted'. Past research has shown that the majority of deaths in which the intent could not be determined (Coroner's open verdicts in England and Wales) in adults are cases where the harm is self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. The proportion among children is unknown although it is unlikely that any very young children deliberately intended to kill themselves.

CABINET OFFICE

Emergency Planning

Adrian Flook: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget was in each of the last three years for each local authority in the South West responsible for emergency planning; and what the budget is in each case for 200405.

Nick Raynsford: Budget estimates of expenditure on emergency planning as reported by each authority in the South West region are tabled as follows.
	
		Budget estimates of net current expenditure on emergency planning -- 000
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Bath and North East Somerset  UA 82 123 255 251 
			 Bournemouth UA 70 70 70 79 
			 Bristol UA 118 120 252 197 
			 Caradon 14 15 12 5 
			 Carrick 0 0 0 1 
			 Cheltenham 3 0 13 19 
			 Christchurch 22 23 18 16 
			 Cornwall 277 276 356 369 
			 Cotswold 13 18 13 15 
			 Devon 259 268 339 460 
			 Dorset 240 285 290 290 
			 East Devon 32 54 44 50 
			 East Dorset 8 9 8 9 
			 Exeter 23 29 28 26 
			 Forest of Dean 0 15 8 16 
			 Gloucester 15 15 11 11 
			 Gloucestershire 307 341 392 236 
			 Isles of Scilly 55 59 65 56 
			 Kennet 61 58 27 70 
			 Kerrier 0 0 0 0 
			 Mendip 0 0 0 0 
			 Mid Devon 25 21 27 26 
			 North Cornwall 0 0 0 0 
			 North Devon 22 50 38 42 
			 North Dorset 30 11 5 7 
			 North Somerset UA 53 70 122 78 
			 North Wiltshire 18 21 7 22 
			 Penwith 0 0 0 0 
			 Plymouth UA 157 152 156 185 
			 Poole UA 21 22 23 92 
			 Purbeck 17 16 15 15 
			 Restormel 0 0 0 0 
			 Salisbury 7 7 6 6 
			 Sedgemoor 13 36 36 33 
			 Somerset 180 230 229 259 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 89 91 100 88 
			 South Hams 37 39 42 43 
			 South Somerset 20 17 5 3 
			 Stroud 10 12 15 23 
			 Swindon UA 88 92 92 4 
			 Taunton Deane 2 2 2 2 
			 Teignbridge 1 1 1 2 
			 Tewkesbury 14 25 22 12 
			 Torbay UA 163 129 126 147 
			 Torridge 17 10 9 14 
			 West Devon 0 0 0 8 
			 West Dorset 33 23 23 25 
			 West Somerset 0 0 0 0 
			 West Wiltshire 2 4 7 6 
			 Weymouth and Portland 14 13 9 16 
			 Wiltshire 183 224 257 252 
		
	
	Note:
	The data are taken from the RA (budget) form; these forms are completed each year by individual local authorities.

Regulation

Archie Norman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the current members of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Ms Munn) on 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1731W.
	The full list of Cabinet Committees and their membership can also be found on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/cabinet/index.asp

Regulation

Archie Norman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether tax matters considered by the Chancellor in the course of normal Budget processes may in any circumstances require clearance from the Panel for Regulatory Accountability.

Douglas Alexander: As announced in Budget 2004, the new requirements of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability will not change the long-standing arrangements through which tax matters are considered by the Chancellor in the course of normal Budget processes.

Working Time Directive

Bill Tynan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many employees in his Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available.

Douglas Alexander: 338 staff, including 267 staff in the Cabinet Office's Executive Agencies, have signed a formal opt out form. No staff have been declared as exempt from the provisions of the Working Time Regulations. Local managers are responsible for monitoring and managing hours worked. However, this information is not collected centrally.
	The Department is committed to reducing the number of staff who are required to work in excess of 48 hours per week (by adjusting working hours or re-designing jobs) to an absolute minimum commensurate with meeting our operational needs.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Asthma

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action his Department is taking (a) to ensure awareness of asthma issues in educational establishments and (b) to encourage them to develop appropriate policies.

Margaret Hodge: The Department, with the Department of Health, has produced 'Supporting pupils with medical needsa good practice guide' to help schools draw up policies to support pupils with their medical needs, including asthma. We have reminded schools of the importance of following the good practice guide. Charles Clarke has recently written an introductory letter to Asthma UK's 'School Pack', and we have informed schools where they can get hold of copies of this pack. The Department is in discussion with Asthma UK and other organisations on how we can work together to raise awareness in schools of common childhood conditions.

Child Abuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will update the guidance in DfES Circular 10/95, 'Protecting Children from Abuse'; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: My Department consulted widely about new guidance to replace that contained in its Circular 10/95 earlier this year. The consultation attracted a large response and the draft guidance is being rewritten to reflect those comments. We will publish revised guidance as soon as possible.

Child Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent progress has been made in establishing (a) children's trusts, (b) children's centres and (c) neighbourhood nurseries.

Margaret Hodge: 35 Children's Trusts Pathfinders have been established to develop the best ways to join up children's services. Pathfinders have all created their governance arrangements and boards and have begun to integrate planning and commissioning of services in their local area. Several Pathfinders have also developed pooled budgets using Section 31 of the Health Act 1999. The Pathfinders are helping us to further the objectives set out in the Green Paper to develop services around the needs of children by integrating the planning and commissioning of services and delivering them through joint budgets.
	Other non-Pathfinder local authorities and their partners have also begun to develop Children's Trusts as part of their movement towards the Green Paper Every Child Matters agenda.
	67 children's centres have been designated so far. Further announcements will be made from early July onwards as we work towards our target of establishing 800 centres by 2006.
	We were committed to opening 900 neighbourhood nurseries by April 2004. In fact, 1,139 neighbourhood nurseries are now open offering 39,235 new day care places in disadvantaged areas for children under 4. By March 2005 we expect to have created around 48,000 places under this initiativeexceeding the original target of 45,000 places.
	By April 2004 we had created over 1 million new child care places providing child care for 1.8 million children as well as ensuring, six months ahead of schedule, that every 3 and 4-year-old can access a high quality part-time free nursery education place in the first term following their third birthday.

Child Care

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role he plans for co-operatives in providing child care.

Margaret Hodge: Day care in England is provided by private, voluntary and public sector organisations. Some of these may be co-operatives. Both social and economic enterprise should be encouraged and I would encourage any group of people considering a co-operative approach to child care provision to seek early discussions with their local authority about how such child care might fit with the local strategic plan.

Children's Green Paper

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the consultation on the Children's Green Paper, Every Child Matters.

Margaret Hodge: I published Every Child Matters: next steps on 4 March 2004, alongside the publication of the Children Bill. This included the Government response to the Green Paper consultation.
	There were over 4,500 responses to Every Child Matters, many from children and young people. The vast majority were strongly supportive of the Government's vision.
	We considered the responses carefully and set out the Government response in Every Child Matters: Next Steps, published on 4 March alongside the Children Bill. The Children Bill creates the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focussed around the needs of children, young people and families. Progress since March has included consultation on an integrated inspection framework for children's services and the announcement of the Children and Young People's Sector Skills Council.

Children's Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the training requirements which will result from (a) local authorities bringing all their children's services under the direction of one accountable officer and (b) the setting up of Children's Trusts; and what provision he has made in his departmental budget to meet such costs.

Margaret Hodge: In 200405 the 20 million Change Fund, announced in the Every Child Matters: Next Steps document, will be used in part to develop cross-sector leadership programmes to support directors of children's services and their key local partners, and to support the next generation of directors. It will also be used to assist local authorities, primary care trusts and others in developing Children's Trusts, including through joint workforce training.
	We are also providing up to 100,000 per year until 200506 to the 35 Children's Trusts Pathfinders to support activities such as joint training.
	Local authorities will continue to fund their own programmes of workforce development, but we would expect to see more programmes of joint training as the authorities and their partners move towards integrated working through Children's Trusts. We are also currently considering our plans for the next spending review period from 200508.

Departmental Staff

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials in his Department have received early release packages in each year since 1997; what the cost of each package was; and what the average amount received is.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 15 June 2004
	From the 199798 financial year to the end of the 200304 financial year, the total number of early releases, the total costs, and the average cost to my Department arising from the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, were as follows:
	
		
		
			 Financial year Number of releases Total cost to DfES ( million) Average cost (000) 
		
		
			 199798 101 5.145 50.94 
			 199899 51 2.73 53.53 
			 19992000 50 4.237 84.74 
			 200001 61 4.06 66.56 
			 200102 84 6.142 73.12 
			 200203 57 5.57 97.72 
			 200304 28 2.54 90.71 
			 Total 432 30.424 70.43 
		
	
	Records are not held centrally about the amount each person received, which is not always the same as the costs to the Department, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Early Years Learning

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent North in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area are shown in the table.
	The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2003 which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	From April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.
	
		Number of free nursery education places1,2 taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers, Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area, 1997 to 2003
		
			 Position in January each year Three-year-olds Four-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 1,200 3,100 
			 1998 2,000 3,000 
			 1999 2,000 2,900 
			 2000 2,300 2,800 
			 2001 2,200 2,800 
			 2002 2,000 2,900 
			 2003 2,200 2,700 
		
	
	(16) Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
	(17) A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.

Identity Card Scheme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he expects the introduction of an identity card scheme will help ensure that all children get into education.

Charles Clarke: We see identity cards having a major contribution to the work of my Department and its agencies. We have identified four key areas: our proposals for a Children's Service Passport; the Connexions Card issued to 16 to 19-year-olds; access to post-16 education and training; and our proposed Unique Learner Number Infrastructure. However, all of our proposals for the use of identity cards relate to the post-16 provision of education and training. In respect of pre-16 education, we have a legal obligation to educate all children of the appropriate age within our education system.

Identity Card Scheme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what uses his Department has for an identity card scheme; and what information would be required through the national identity database to enable the scheme to be put to those uses.

Charles Clarke: The identity cards scheme has potential to realise administrative savings for training providers and funding bodies in post-16 education and skills training; reduce financial and identity fraud in gaining entry to and working in education and training; and by simplifying the application process for individuals accessing services.
	The information required of the card itself or of the National Identity Register would depend on the context.

Pre-School Provision (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been given by his Department during the last 12 months to pre-school provision within the Greater London area.

Margaret Hodge: The Department funds a range of provision in London, such as children's centres, Neighbourhood Nurseries and Sure Start Local Programmes, concentrated in the more disadvantaged areas. In all local authorities the Department meets the cost of part-time early education places and a Sure Start General Grant is paid, most of which supports pre-school provision.
	From April 2003, funding to support the delivery of early years education was consolidated within the under fives sub-block of each local authority's Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)the main source of education funding. The under fives sub-block for Greater London total amount is 499.45 million for 200405.
	The amount of Sure Start General Grant paid to London authorities was 48.3 million in 200304.
	The main children's centre programme will begin this financial year. However, for the period 200304, 2.05 million was provided to London local authorities in advance of this to encourage early development of the programme. There are 96 Sure Start local programmes in London who received 61.98 million revenue and claimed 21.1 million in capital grants in 200304. Grants of 4.3 million were made to Early Excellence Centres in London 200304. There are 153 neighbourhood nurseries currently open in London delivering nearly 5,000 day care places. We are making available a total of 24 million in revenue funding to enable these nurseries to establish themselves. Funding is via the local authority and each individual nursery is eligible for grant for the first three years of operation.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent in Crosby from measures within the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

Margaret Hodge: Information on total spending to support the duties introduced as a result of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 is not collected centrally. Funding to local authorities in England for education in the school sector has risen from 26.4 billion in 200102 to 28.3 billion in 200304. Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those in the Crosby area, have benefited from these significant additional resources, in the school sector alone local authorities planned to spend nearly 3.5 billion in 200304 on SEN, of which about 1.5 billion was spent on special education in special schools, 1.7 billion on provision in mainstream schools and about 2.4 million on local authority responsibilities including educational psychologists and carrying out statutory assessments.
	Some 220 million was made available between 200102 and 200304 specifically to support improvements in access to schools for disabled pupils and students, including those in the Crosby area. This is part of overall capital funds of 9 billion for education made available to local authorities during the same period.

Standards and Effectiveness Unit

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the closure of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit.

Stephen Twigg: Schools Directorate is about to undergo a reorganisation which will see the advent of a new 'Primary, Secondary and Delivery Group' in place of the existing Standards and Effectiveness Unit, Secondary Group and Primary and E-Learning Group. It will be responsible for strategy, policy development and programme management for primary and secondary education and for a range of delivery programmes in support of the strategies for each phase.
	These changes flow from the Prime Minister's radical reform agenda for the delivery of better quality public services and will reinforce and increase our focus on standards. Raising school standards remains a key priority for the Government and this reorganisation will ensure that this continues.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Ballot Papers

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the powers political parties and individual candidates have to put slogans on the ballot paper; and whether each of these is agreed in advance by (a) the Electoral Commission and (b) the returning officer.

Christopher Leslie: A registered political party can describe itself on a ballot paper using up to six words. The description can be either the party name registered with the Electoral Commission or a variation of it, providing that this is properly authorised by the party's nominating officer and approved by the returning officer. The returning officer can refuse to allow a nomination using a variation of a party's registered name if in his or her view it would lead voters to associate the candidate with another registered party.

Departmental Staff

Paul Goodman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: My Department has no central record of the reasons for staff leaving the Department broken down by these categories. When staff leave on medical grounds, the reasons are recorded on their individual personal files. However, the Civil Service Pensions Division of the Cabinet Office has provided figures on the number of medical retirement certificates issued for reasons of mental health as follows:
	200001: 13
	200102: 13
	These may not all have resulted in retirements. Figures for 2002 onwards cannot be provided for reasons of confidentiality as there are fewer than five cases in each year. Figures for the years prior to 2000 are not available due to a change of medical advice contractor (this information was not a requirement of the contract before April 2000).
	My Department is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work. Initiatives include an in-house Welfare Service and a Stress Toolkit due to be launched in early July. In addition the Department won the Opportunity Now National Public Sector award last year for its work-life balance policies.

Electoral Malpractice

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms exist to identify in which elections an individual has participated when multiple elections are held.

Christopher Leslie: Under current electoral law, the electoral register is marked to indicate that a ballot paper has been issued to an elector. Where elections are combined, a different mark is made to indicate for which election a ballot paper has been issued. The marked copies of the register are available for public inspection after the election.

Electoral Roll (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many electors were on the electoral roll in Chorley in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Based on figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in respect of the annual register of electors this information is as follows:
	
		
			  Electors 
		
		
			 1997 75,251 
			 1998 76,047 
			 1999 76,468 
			 2000 77,204 
			 2001 78,526 
			 2002 78,510 
			 2003 79,243

High Sheriffs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many high sheriffs in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire have been (i) Masons and (ii) members of political parties in the last 10 years.

Christopher Leslie: High sheriffs are not required to disclose this information. The shrievalty is, however, a non-political office, and any high sheriff who has been politically active is required to refrain from local or national political activity during his or her year as Sheriff.

Magistrates

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many lay magistrates there are in the Greater London area; and how many vacancies for lay magistrates there are.

Christopher Leslie: On 14 June 2004 there were 3,109 lay magistrates in the Greater London area. During the course of the year Advisory Committees determine the number of vacancies they are seeking to fill as part of their annual recruitment exercise. Figures are not yet available for 200405. However, in the 12 months leading up to April this year Committees reported that they were seeking to fill 194 vacancies in the Greater London area.

Magistrates

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what information is requested from those appointed as magistrates concerning their (a) religion and (b) membership of organisations.

Christopher Leslie: The application form for potential recruits to the magistracy does not contain any question about the religion of candidates. Applicants are asked to specify what organisations and clubs they belong to and what time commitment each requires. They are also asked, for monitoring purposes, whether or not they are freemasons.

Mental Incapacity Bill

Brian Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, columns 38283W, on the Mental Incapacity Bill, what legal protection there is for those aged 16 or under if they lack mental capacity and are not covered by the draft Mental Incapacity Bill.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The legal protection of children under 16 is primarily the responsibility of their parents. Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 gives the meaning of parental responsibility. Children under 16 are presumed to lack mental capacity, as defined legally in some respect, which is why parents can largely make decisions on behalf of their children. The threshold at which local authorities can apply to the courts for a care order which confers parental responsibility on the applicant authority is given in Section 31 of the Children Act 1989.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps were taken by (a) his and (b) other departments to secure a fully independent valuation for Actis.

Hilary Benn: The directors of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) Group plc had a duty to ensure that the company received full value for the transfer of assets and the sale of Actis LLP to management, staff and DFID. The Independent Committee of the CDC board (comprising the independent non-executive directors) instructed KPMG to carry out an independent valuation and to report to them.
	DFID and HM Treasury were consulted about this and concurred with the process used to arrive at the valuation. The Shareholder Executive has also endorsed it.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations his Department received from other companies regarding the formation of Actis as a limited liability partnership.

Hilary Benn: No representation have been received from other companies about the formation of Actis as a limited liability partnership.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice he received from the National Audit Office about the separation of CDC into two corporate entities and a family of funds.

Hilary Benn: It is not the function of the National Audit Office (NAO) to provide advice to Ministers on policy matters. The role of the NAO is to audit the accounts of all government departments and agencies as well as a wide range of other public bodies, and report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which government bodies have used public money.
	DFID has kept the NAO informed about the proposals for the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and will be passing a full set of documentation to them upon completion of the restructuring.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he received from (a) current and (b) former CDC employees about alternative bids for Actis.

Hilary Benn: No alternative bids have been received from either former or current employees of CDC.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies not related to the Government were involved in the reorganisation of CDC; and how they were involved.

Hilary Benn: A variety of companies assisted in the reorganisation in an advisory capacity as follows:
	Clifford Chance, Alien and Overy and Field Fisher Waterhouse (legal advisers)
	PricewaterhouseCoopers (tax adviser)
	KPMG (due diligence)
	Rothschilds (financial advisers)
	Credit Suisse First Boston and Campbell Lutyens (private equity advisers)
	Towers Perrin (remuneration adviser)
	Whitehead Mann (recruitment adviser)
	Acanchi (branding adviser)
	McKinseys (business strategy and incentive scheme adviser)
	Financial Dynamics, LLM Communications (communications advisers)
	Watson Wyatt (employment and pension advisers)

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 15WS, on reorganisation of CDC, what the responsible business principles are that Actis will be following.

Hilary Benn: The Responsible Business Principles that Actis will follow are set out in exact detail in Schedule 11 to the Member's Agreement, which I signed on 2 April. A copy of the full document will be placed in the Library once the completion date for the reorganisation is reached.
	The Principles are unchanged from those that the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) has been applying since 1999. Briefly, they set standards for Actis in the areas of business integrity, social and human rights, environment and health and safety. They also prohibit investments in military equipment, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography or tobacco. It sets out the procedures to be followed to comply with these and requires Actis to obtain an undertaking to comply with similar principles from each potential investee company.

Extractive Industries

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to implement the recommendations in the World Bank's Extractive Industries Review.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) on 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 619W.

Iraq

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: In spite of difficulties resulting from the security situation in Iraq, there is no humanitarian crisis in the country and significant progress has been made since April 2003 in restoring essential services, maintaining the Public Distribution System for food rations, reopening hospitals and schools, and beginning the process of longer term reconstruction. Where localised emergency humanitarian assistance has been required, for example to support people temporarily displaced by fighting in Fallujah in April this year, it has been provided by Iraqi Ministries, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, NGOs and Iraqi citizens. Preparations have also been made for the provision of humanitarian assistance, if required, in other parts of Iraq. An Emergency Coordination Group has been established to ensure the effective coordination of emergency assistance in Iraq. Its membership includes UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and NGOs.
	US$32 billion in grants and soft loans was pledged for the reconstruction of Iraq at the Madrid Donors' Conference in October, including over US$18 billion from the USA. DFID has committed 287 million towards humanitarian and reconstruction work in Iraq since the beginning of 2003.

Sudan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to promote social and economic development in Sudan.

Hilary Benn: The UK, through the joint Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeDepartment for International Development Sudan Unit, is supporting the peace process between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development. This process provides the key to peace and poverty reduction in Sudan. A framework agreement was signed on 5 June and I encourage the parties to reach a comprehensive agreement in the coming months.
	In anticipation of this agreement, and an end to the crisis in Darfur, the Department for International Development is planning for a full development programme for Sudan. I have allocated 35 million this financial year for humanitarian, and eventually development, activities across Sudan. In addition I have set aside 25 million this year in humanitarian assistance for the region of Darfur, Western Sudan.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to encourage internally displaced people to return to their homes in Darfur; and what discussions he has had with the UN to this effect.

Hilary Benn: It is important that the internally displaced people in Darfur do return to their homes. However, our position is that this must only take place on a voluntary basis and once the security of those people can be guaranteed. The UN does not consider that there is sufficient security and protection for internally displaced people in Darfur to encourage return at the moment. DFID is working to improve the security situation in Darfur through the full deployment of the African Union Monitoring Team, and by calling on all parties to the conflict to observe the ceasefire.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will intervene to influence the Government of the Sudan to extend the issuing of visas within 48 hours for aid agencies attempting to gain access to the displaced people in the Shilluk Kingdom, Sudan.

Hilary Benn: DFID is in touch with the Government of Sudan on the issue of travel permits for humanitarian workers going to Shilluk Kingdom through our Embassy in Khartoum. Our latest information is that a list of staff for the planned inter-agency mission was submitted to the Humanitarian Affairs Commission on 7 June.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest assessment is of the numbers of people suffering serious food shortages in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: The World Food Programme estimates that some 1.2 million people are currently in need of food assistance in Darfur. However, it is probable that this number will increase as more areas are accessed and assessed by humanitarian agencies.

Zambia

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to the Eastern Province of Zambia; and what future funding plans are.

Hilary Benn: The Province benefits from DFID's support to national Health and Education programmes. This assistance is substantial, including 20 million to the Education Ministry (200307) and 20 million to the Health Ministry (200105). DFID is ensuring access to quality services in every province through to the district and community levels.
	Targeted assistance to Eastern Province includes sexual and reproductive health programmes. For example, DFID is currently funding a 20,000 information campaign on reproductive health and HIV/AIDs mainly targeted at young people.
	In the coming year, the UK Small Grants Scheme will focus on Eastern Province. With a budget of 160,000, the Scheme will support proposals working with vulnerable groups including women, orphans and children. Priority will be given to activities that will promote HIV/AIDs prevention and coping activities.
	I recently approved a new Country Assistance Plan for Zambia giving more details of DFID's future funding priorities. This will be available shortly.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Asylum

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with African countries to strengthen protection of individuals who seek asylum from key refugee-producing regions; and what the outcome of these discussions was.

Bill Rammell: The UK Government have an obligation under the 1951 refugee convention to protect those with a well founded fear of persecution. We continue to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and in bilateral discussions with African countries to strengthen the protection of individuals who come from regions with particularly high refugee caseloads. Our objective is to draw on the full-range of protection tools where appropriate, including resettlement, assisting African countries with immigration service training, and effectively incorporating refugee aspects into development assistance programmes.

British Indian Ocean Territories

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest annual income is from fishing licences in the British Indian Ocean Territories.

Bill Rammell: Income from fishing licences in the financial year 200304 was 564,431.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government plan to take to reduce the incidence of British companies trading with Burma.

Mike O'Brien: The Government have a long standing policy to discourage trade with, or investment in, Burma. We offer no support to companies wishing to trade with Burma or for those who want to invest there. We welcomed the announcement by British American Tobacco, the largest remaining UK investor in Burma, that it is withdrawing its investment from that country in response to my request of 2 July 2003. British companies who enquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation, the regime's atrocious record on human rights and the country's dire economic prospects. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 1042, trade with Burma is not appropriate when the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its people.
	In practical terms, the regime's economic mismanagement and the attitude of the international community means there is virtually no new inward investment into Burma and established companies are pulling out.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make further representations to Orient Express concerning its proposed new investment in Burma.

Mike O'Brien: The Government do not encourage tourism to, or investment in, Burma. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 1042, trade with Burma is not appropriate when the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its people. Orient Express is aware of our views.

Colombia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the accessibility for humanitarian groups of the more remote areas of Colombia; what discussions he has had on this with his Colombian counterpart; what assurances (a) he has requested and (b) he has received with regard to the Colombian Government's efforts to facilitate access to all parts of Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are currently no legal restrictions in place in Colombia preventing access to any part of their country for international organisations and their agencies or for Colombian or foreign NGOs working there. However, the continuing armed conflict and the country's geography mean that access to the remotest parts of the country can be difficult. In addition paramilitary or guerrilla groups do attempt to block access by outsiders to some parts of the country, particularly remote rural locations. International organisations and NGOs are also conscious of the potential risk to their staff of attempting to gain access to areas in which the armed conflict is ongoing. Through its democratic security policy the Government of Colombia is trying to bring security and accessibility to all regions in the country. We constantly urge the Colombian Government to ensure that the implementation of this policy is in accordance with international law. We also monitor developments closely to inform our own travel advice.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the timetable for the introduction of monitors for the purpose of peace-keeping in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: We welcome the readiness with which the African Union (AU) volunteered to take on the leadership of the monitoring mission in Darfur. The AU have already begun deployment of the monitors and expect this to be completed by the end of next month. This compares favourably with the time taken to deploy previous monitoring missions in Sudan.

Diego Garcia/Chagos Islands

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received from the US concerning the de-population of the civilian population of Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands that lie within the British Indian Ocean Territories.

Bill Rammell: The US authorities have in the past made clear their concerns about the presence of a settled civilian population in the British Indian Ocean Territory. However, I have received no recent representations from them on the subject.

Diego Garcia/Chagos Islands

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what facilities exist on Diego Garcia for holding human beings against their will; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: In exercise of powers conferred on him by the Prisons Ordinance 1981 of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Commissioner for the Territory has declared certain specified premises in Diego Garcia to be a prison. This was done by orders made in February 1986 (which replaced an earlier order made in July 1982), July 1993 and December 2001. Under various provisions of the law of the Territory, persons may be arrested in execution of a warrant of arrest issued by a Court or a Magistrate, or in certain circumstances without such a warrant, and any person so arrested may then be detained in such a prison until he is brought before a Court or a Magistrate. Persons who are ordered by a Court or a Magistrate to be remanded in custody or committed to prison are detained in such a prison as also, of course, are persons who are sentenced by a Court to imprisonment following their conviction of a criminal offence.

Diego Garcia/Chagos Islands

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many detainees, and how many shipments of detainees, have passed through Diego Garcia, or the territorial waters off it, while in transit between other destinations; whether any detainees have been disembarked at Diego Garcia, and for how long; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The United States authorities have repeatedly assured us that no detainees have at any time passed in transit through Diego Garcia or its territorial waters or have disembarked there and that the allegations to that effect are totally without foundation. The Government are satisfied that their assurances are correct.

Iraq

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to whom the Coalition Provisional Authority is accountable; and what responsibilities this places upon the United Kingdom.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 798W. The UK and the US set out their views of their responsibilities in their joint letter to the President of the Security Council of 8 May 2003, which the Security Council noted in resolution 1483(2003). I will place UNDoc. S/2003/538 in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, column 1637W, on Iraq, to whose private offices the telegram concerned was distributed; and when the telegram was shown by officials in those private offices to Ministers.

Jack Straw: holding answer of 17 June 2004
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 26 May Official Report, column 1637W.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current security situation in the Shilluk Kingdom, Sudan.

Mike O'Brien: We are very concerned by reports that civilians have been targeted and that thousands of people have been displaced. We are following the situation closely and are in contact with all parties in the area, including the Verification and Monitoring Team (VMT) which is responsible for investigating and reporting on breaches of the cessation of hostilities. We raised the matter with the Sudanese Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 11 May and EU Heads of Mission, including our Ambassador in Khartoum, visited on 27 May. EU Heads of Mission intend to make representations to the Government of Sudan over the reports of attacks on civilians by Government of Sudan-allied forces.

Sudan

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that African and international peacekeepers operating in the Western Darfur area of Sudan extend their activities to southern Sudan.

Chris Mullin: The mission of the African Union-led Ceasefire Commission operating in Darfur is to monitor compliance with the 8 April humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sudan, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. The Commission's mandate does not extend to southern Sudan. A separate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a cessation of hostilities was signed on 15 October 2002 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. An addendum to the MOU was signed on 4 February 2003. This cessation of hostilities is being monitored by the IGAD-led Verification and Monitoring Team.

Sudan

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the international community will be committing troops to monitor the peace process in Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We expect the Sudanese parties to conclude a peace agreement this year. The United Nations are planning to support the implementation of the eventual peace agreement and that the international community will contribute personnel to the mission.

Sudan

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the international community is taking to ensure the peace process in Sudan is monitored.

Chris Mullin: The Sudan peace talks in Kenya are being held under the auspices of the regional organisation the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. In addition to the Sudanese parties and the countries of the region, these talks are attended by the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Italy, the United Nations and the African Union. We expect the eventual peace agreement to be monitored by a mission led by the United Nations.

Turkey

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Turkey over (a) the jailing of journalist Hakan Albayrak of Milli Gazete and (b) the fining of Vakit newspaper; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: I am very concerned to learn about the jailing of journalist Hakan Albayrak of Milli Gazete and the fining of Vakit newspaper. But we should not let these decisions detract from the considerable progress Turkey has made on freedom of expression, including the release of Leyla Zana, the first broadcasting in minority languages in Turkey, and the passing of a new press law during this last week which contains further measures to increase freedom of the press. I am convinced that these significant developments and proposals for a new Turkish Penal Code will lead to further improvements in Turkey.
	I take every opportunity to urge the Turkish Government to make rapid and demonstrable progress in the practical implementation of the reforms they have passed to safeguard human rights and freedom of expression, and to remove remaining constraints on freedom of expression. We will raise the case of Hakan Albayrak and the fining of Vakit newspaper at the next round of the UK's bilateral dialogue with Turkey on human rights this July.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Business Fraud

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been received by the Office of Fair Trading in relation to (a) business to business and (b) business to consumer scams in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not readily available. I have asked the Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading to write to the hon. Member to give a fuller answer.

Business Fraud

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department has taken against rogue businesses that are operating business to business frauds.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 June 2004
	As a consumer protection enforcement body, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has investigated certain business to business scams operating in the UK and, with overseas counterparts in the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network (ICPEN), scams targeting UK business from overseas. Examples include the Spanish European City Guide and bogus requests to register under the Data Protection Act. It is currently working with the Health and Safety Executive on bogus requests to register under the Health and Safety Act.

Business Fraud

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Stop Now orders can be used against rogue companies that are operating frauds specifically aimed at other businesses.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 June 2004
	An Enforcement Order under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002 can only be sought against a business that harms the collective interest of consumers.
	An Order cannot be sought where there is detriment from business to another business.

Electricity Generation/Supply

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the average cost, including commissioning and decommissioning costs, in pence per kilowatt hour, of electricity generated from (a) coal, (b) natural gas, (c) nuclear power, (d) on shore wind, (e) off shore wind, (f) photovoltaic and (g) biomass sources.

Stephen Timms: The Department published estimates of the cost of electricity generation from a variety of low carbon technologies, including commissioning and decommissioning, in a report by the Interdepartmental Analysts' Group (IAG) made in February 2002 available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/greenhousegas/index.shtml. The IAG's estimates for 2020 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Technology p/kWh 
		
		
			 Onshore wind 2.02.5 
			 Offshore wind 2.03.0 
			 Nuclear 2.64.0 
			 Gas 2.32.9 
		
	
	The Performance and Innovation Unit at the Cabinet Office also published similar estimates in its 2001 Energy Review. These are available at: www.number-10.gov.uk/su/energy/1.html. The following table shows the PIU estimates for new plant in 2020 for nuclear, onshore and offshore wind and gas-fired generation.
	
		
			 Technology p/kWh 
		
		
			 Onshore wind 1.52.5 
			 Offshore wind 2.03.0 
			 Nuclear 2.54.0 
			 Gas 2.02.3 
		
	
	For the energy White Paper the Department also commissioned additional external modelling work, which produced the following estimates, including estimated costs of both gas- and coal-fired generation (with and without carbon capture and storage).
	
		
			 Technology p/kWh 
		
		
			 Gas 2000(18) 2.22.4 
			 Gas 2020 2.12.2 
			 Coal 2000 3.63.9 
			 Gas (capture and storage) 2000 3.53.7 
			 Gas (capture and storage) 2020 3.03.2 
			 Coal (capture and storage) 2000 5.76.1 
			 Coal (capture and storage) 2020 4.54.9 
			 Nuclear 2010 3.43.7 
			 Nuclear 2020 2.73.0 
		
	
	(18) In this table, 2000 means plants built in the decade 200010, and so on.
	Work undertaken for the Renewables Innovation Review covering wind generation costs is also available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewablcs/policy/oxeraresults.pdf. Their estimates for 2010 and 2020 are shown in the following table. This modelling work includes cost estimates for additional investment in the transmission system to handle an increased share of offshore wind generation as well as the cost of providing back-up capacity for intermittent sources of generation such as wind.
	
		
			  2010 2020 
		
		
			 Onshore wind 2.73.6 2.53.2 
			 Offshore wind 4.45.5 3.04.6 
		
	
	The Renewables Innovation Review also includes a comparison of cost competitiveness of renewable versus conventional energy generation technologies in 2003, estimating current cost of solar photovoltaic electricity under UK conditions for integrated systems at around 37 p per kWh, and current costs of biomass generation in the 57 p per kWh range. Costs of individual projects will vary depending on specific circumstances.

Flexible Working

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the effect on women's employment of (a) more flexible hours and (b) better child care; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Female employment in the three months ending March 2004 was 13.043 million having risen by just over a 1 million since spring 1997 and by around 250,000 since spring 2002
	It is extremely difficult to evaluate the effect of more flexible hours and better child care on women's employment, as there are many factors that influence the decisions that women make. We would generally expect that increased availability of flexible working and child care would increase women's participation in the labour market.
	Both the DTI and the Department for Work and Pensions are conducting ongoing work in this area. The DTI is running a series of roundtables across the country so it can hear directly from parents, carers and employers, about their experiences and needs. A Citizens' Jury is also running which will bring a new perspective to the programme of work.

Fuel Poverty

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the proportion of fuel poor households in (a) the UK and (b) England that contain an older person.

Stephen Timms: It was estimated that, in 2002, there were two and a quarter million fuel poor households in the UK: of those it is estimated that one and three quarter million households were in the vulnerable category, defined as those households containing older people, children, or householders with a long term illness or disability.
	In England in 2002, estimates suggest that 1.4 million households were in fuel poverty, and that 1.2 million of those were in the vulnerable category. The number of households containing an older person specifically is not available for 2002.
	Estimates are available for 2001 for England, however, 52 per cent. of the 1.7 million households in fuel poverty in that year contained an older person. A detailed breakdown of information for England will be available for 2003, and will be published in spring 2005.

Graduate Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific financial assistance is available to help recent graduates to set up their own business.

Nigel Griffiths: The Business Link network in England, and the equivalent organisations operating in other parts of the UK, can provide advice and information on any specific financial assistance available to recent graduates wishing to start up their own businesses. The exact assistance available will depend on a number of factors. These include the individual circumstances of the graduate, the proposed location and type of business they want to start.

Military Equipment (ECGD)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outstanding amounts of Export Credits Guarantee Department guarantees in respect of military equipment were in financial years (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304.

Mike O'Brien: The following table lists amounts at risk as at the end of each of the last three financial years in respect of ECGD guarantees for exports of defence related equipment. These figures are made up of future maturities (amounts that have not yet to fall due for payment) and claims outstanding for recovery (claims paid that ECGD has yet to recover). Claims outstanding are in respect of business underwritten from 1991 onwards as ECGD does not hold claims information on cases supported before this date broken down by industry sector:
	
		 million
		
			 At 31 March Future maturities Claims outstanding Total 
		
		
			 2002 3,166 489 3,655 
			 2003 3,779 556 4,335 
			 2004 3,496 568 4,064

Moor Road Post Office

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will discuss with Royal Mail the closure of Moor Road Post Office, Chorley, and the extent to which (a) guidelines on closure were followed and (b) evidence against closure was considered.

Stephen Timms: We do not have a role in the process to determine the closure of individual offices. This is an operational matter for POL. The process is carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.

New Businesses (Essex)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new business start-ups there were in 2003 in (a) Essex and (b) Southend.

Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in the last quarter of 2003, including 500 business start-ups in Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and 3,000 within the County of Essex. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. Included in these figures are 2,000 business start-ups in Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and 12,300 in the County of Essex.
	Barclays data for counties and local authorities are not available before 2003.
	DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and the County of Essex are shown as follows for the period 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
	
		VAT registrations: 2002
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 525 
			 Essex 4,375 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 19942002, Small Business Service www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/vatstats php
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

Oil and Gas

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to stimulate gas companies to create greater capacity to store gas within the UK.

Stephen Timms: The main stimulant for new gas storage projects will be the market opportunity, including the widening seasonal (summer-winter) spread of wholesale gas prices. The Department and Ofgem seek to provide an appropriate light-touch regulatory environment, and ensure that the market is aware of the opportunities through the regular reports of the DTI-Ofgem Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group. In addition my Department informs relevant local planning authorities, considering planning applications, of the energy policy background.

Oil and Gas

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to maximise the untapped oil and gas reserves in the UK continental shelf.

Stephen Timms: Government are committed to maximising economic recovery of UK oil and gas resources and there are substantial quantities of hydrocarbons yet to be produced. We are working on a number of initiatives aimed at maximising continued North Sea activity, investment and exploration. In particular we:
	have enhanced the licensing system to make available promote licences to encourage new companies to get involved in the North Sea, and new frontier licences to the West of Shetland to bring exploration to this area;
	continue to ensure current licensees release fallow acreage so that others can develop it;
	have introduced a new Exploration Expenditure Supplement to reduce barriers to entry for new companies that do not receive the full benefit of current 100 per cent. exploration and appraisal capital allowances; and
	with PILOT, the Government/industry forum, established brownfield workgroups which aim to ensure maximum recovery from existing fields, and have improved the access to offshore infrastructure.

Oil and Gas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the possible implications of a rise in the price of world oil on the competitiveness of UK manufacturing firms.

Jacqui Smith: As oil is an internationally traded commodity, the price rise has affected all world manufacturers. Moreover, as the rise has been accompanied by a fall in the US dollar against sterling, the rise in the sterling price of oil has been less pronounced.
	The pick-up in business investment, allied with improving prospects for world trade, are in fact expected to underpin a strengthening of manufacturing output this year, building on recent signs of a turnaround in the sector.

Regulation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library a copy of the list of priority areas for regulatory simplification submitted to the European Commission in March this year.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	A letter was sent from John Grant, UK Permanent Representative to the EU, to David O'Sullivan, Secretary General, European Commission, on 17 March 2004, highlighting the areas of Community legislation that the UK Government considers to be particular priorities for simplification. I have placed copies of the letter in the Library.

Renewable Energy

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the electricity used in Lancashire was provided by renewable energy in the latest month for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Information on renewable generation is available only for the North West region as a whole. In 2002, the latest year for which data are available, generation from renewables in the North West amounted to 662 GWh whereas the amount of electricity distributed to consumers in North West England in 2002 is estimated to have been 39,611 GWh. There is no guarantee that electricity generated in a region will all be consumed in that region

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council held on 10 June 2004; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Deputy Permanent Representative, Anne Lambert, represented the UK at the Telecommunications and Energy Councils in Luxembourg on 10 June 2004.
	On telecommunications, there was political agreement on eContent plus, a four-year continuation of a programme to support the availability of public sector information, especially location-based information on the internet. All member states agreed to the Presidency compromise budget of 135 million Euros, a reduction in the Commission's original proposal of 163 million Euros, requested by the UK and other member states. There was agreement on the general approach of Safer Internet Plus, a four-year continuation of another existing programme, to improve the co-ordination of member states' and third countries' fight against on-line content harmful to minors. All member states accepted the Presidency compromise budget of 45 million Euros. Member states also endorsed the Council Conclusions on updating the eEurope 2005 Action Plan and on National Broadband Strategies, as a basis for contributing to the Lisbon Mid-Term Review at next Spring's Economic Summit. The eEurope 2005 Action Plan was previously fine-tuned in the eEurope Mid-Term Review to strengthen implementation mechanisms and speed up progress in five key areas (broadband, on-line public services, e-business, e-inclusion and benchmarking). The Presidency tabled for information a paper on the forthcoming Tunis World Summit on Information Society, and the Commission drew attention to its forthcoming communication on mobile services which would cover RD, interoperability, the legal environment (including intellectual property rights) and spectrum.
	On energy, political agreement was reached on a Directive establishing a framework for the setting of Eco-Design requirements for Energy-Using Products. This sets out the arrangements by which the Commission may set mandatory energy efficiency and other environmental product design requirements on manufacturers and incorporates existing legislation on boilers, household refrigeration and lighting ballasts. Political agreement was also reached on a Gas Regulation setting conditions for access to the gas transmission networks, on the basis of an implementation date of 1 July 2006. Though some member states (MS) wanted a longer implementation date, the UK argued that early implementation was essential to develop the single market in gas.
	A general approach was agreed on a Council Decision laying down guidelines for Trans-European Energy Networks. Facing MS unanimity, the Commission accepted deletion of Articles 810, covering projects of European interest and the appointment of a European co-ordinator, from its original proposal. There was a progress report on proposals for Directives on Energy Services and on Electricity Security of Supply.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport represented the UK at the Transport Council and will reply separately.

VAT-registered Enterprises

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of VAT-registered enterprises registered in (a) 1987, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) 2001 were still trading after (i) 12 months, (ii) 24 months and (iii) 36 months, broken down by region.

Nigel Griffiths: VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that deregister will not necessary cease trading. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.
	The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises still registered after 12 months are not available for enterprises registered before 1993. The answers for 1997 and 2001 are as follows:
	12 months
	The percentages of UK enterprises registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) in 1997 and 2001 that were still registered for VAT after 12 months, in each country and Government Office Region (GOR), are as follows.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Country Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 12 months Enterprises registered in 2001 still registered after 12 months 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 89 92 
			 England 90 92 
			 Scotland 88 92 
			 Wales 89 92 
			 Northern Ireland 91 94 
		
	
	Source:
	Small Business Service (SBS) Business Survival Rates, http://www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/statisticssurvivalrates.php
	
		Percentage of UK enterprises still registered after 12 months
		
			 Government Office Region Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 12 months Enterprises registered in 2001 still registered after 12 months 
		
		
			 North East 90 91 
			 North West 87 91 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 89 91 
			 East Midlands 89 92 
			 West Midlands 88 92 
			 East 91 92 
			 London 89 91 
			 South East 91 93 
			 South West 91 93 
		
	
	24 months
	The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises, in each Government Office Region, still registered after 24 months, are only available for enterprises registered in 1999 and 2000. They are as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			 Country Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 24 months Enterprises registered in 2000 still registered after 24 months 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 77 79 
			 England 77 79 
			 Scotland 76 79 
			 Wales 77 78 
			 Northern Ireland 80 83 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			 Government Office Region Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 24 months Enterprises registered in 2000 still registered after 24 months 
		
		
			 North East 76 77 
			 North West 75 78 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 77 77 
			 East Midlands 78 79 
			 West Midlands 77 79 
			 East 79 79 
			 London 75 77 
			 South East 80 81 
			 South West 78 80 
		
	
	36 Months
	The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises still registered after 36 months are only available for enterprise registered 1993 to 1999 inclusive. Data for enterprises registered in 2001 are expected in winter 200506.
	Data for 1997 and the latest year (1999) are as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			 Country Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 36 months Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 36 months 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 67 66 
			 England 67 66 
			 Scotland 66 65 
			 Wales 68 68 
			 Northern Ireland 75 72 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			 Government Office Region Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 36 months Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 36 months 
		
		
			 North East 66 66 
			 North West 64 65 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 67 66 
			 East Midlands 67 68 
			 West Midlands 66 67 
			 East 70 68 
			 London 64 63 
			 South East 71 70 
			 South West 70 68

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Brownfield Sites

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what split he recommends for industry and housing on brownfield sites.

Keith Hill: The Government does not set the proportion of brownfield sites which should be developed for industry and housing, nor would it wish to. Local planning authorities, through the development plan process, should decide for themselves what sites to allocate for housing and industrial land.
	In preparing development plans, local authorities must have regard to national planning policies. Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing sets a national target for 60 per cent. of additional housing, including conversions, to be built on previously-developed land. The latest figure achieved is 66 per cent. in 2002, a figure which has increased every year since 1997. There is no target for industrial uses.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology that can be applied to the circumstances of each local authority area, rather than recommending a proportional split between the development of housing and industrial uses at a national level.

Greenbelt Land

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's guidelines for the use of green belt land allows its use for low cost or rent housing in order for local people in villages to remain in the area under section 106 agreements.

Keith Hill: Current policy on providing for rural exception housing is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing, Annex B. The policy allows local planning authorities to consider including a 'rural exception policy' in their plans where there remains a lack of affordable housing to meet local needs. An exception policy enables a local planning authority to grant planning permission for small sites for affordable housing to meet local needs in perpetuity, within or adjoining existing villages, which may be subject to policies of restraint such as Green Belt.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's consultation document Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing proposes that the 'rural exception policy' is replaced by a 100 per cent. affordable housing allocation policy, which would deliver exactly the same objective except through the plan making process.

Housing (Manchester)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effects of the (a) Starter Home Initiative and (b) Market Renewal Pathfinders programme on the residents of Manchester Central.

Keith Hill: Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing serves undermined recruitment and retention of skilled staff in key public services. The SHI was available in London and the South East region and in some housing hotspots in the East, South West and West Midlands regions. It was not available to key workers in Manchester.
	The Manchester Salford market renewal pathfinder programme is intended to benefit the residents of the whole of Manchester and Salford, including central Manchester, by creating sustainable communities through housing market renewal.

Housing (Manchester)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Manchester Central.

Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 200102 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Manchester's allocation for 200304 was 69.671 million and has been supplemented by the announcement of 125 million to be made available to the Manchester/Salford Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder between 200304 and 200506.

Industrial Land

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much land is designated for industry in the county plans.

Keith Hill: There are no statistics held centrally for how much land has been allocated for certain land uses, such as industry, in development plans, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology through which local planning authorities will be able to review their allocations of employment land, retaining sites which are needed, viable and sustainable, and making others available for re-allocation to other land uses. In the process, individual local authorities will have a much better data source on land allocated for industrial use.

Lone Parents (Accommodation)

David Willetts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new places in semi-independent housing have been provided for lone parents under the age of 18 years in each year since May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Set out as follows is the number of Housing Corporation sponsored completions for supported housing for lone teenage parents in each year since 1997:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199798 113 
			 199899 136 
			 19992000 81 
			 200001 53 
			 200102 132 
			 200203 321 
			 200304 355 
		
	
	A further 309 have already been approved under the Approved Development Programme.

New Homes (London)

Martin Linton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new homes in London were (a) built by or for registered social landlords and (b) granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and April 2004.

Keith Hill: The number of new homes built by or for registered social landlords in London between April 2000 and March 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200001 4,162 
			 200102 3,512 
			 200203 4,258 
			 200304 4,100 
		
	
	Source:
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. These are new build only.
	Information on the number of new homes granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and March 2004 is not readily available. The following information is available (calendar years):
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 30,576 
			 2001 24,908 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Provision Survey 2001, Greater London Authority. These are net approvals.

Ordnance Survey

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Pan Government Agreement for Central Government to use Ordnance Survey data was open to fair and transparent competition.

Yvette Cooper: The Pan Government Agreement (PGA) is a non-binding internal arrangement between two Crown bodies, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ordnance Survey (OS). Accordingly, the PGA is not a contract necessitating competition through prior advertisement in accordance with the EC public procurement directives.
	The success of an initial one-year pilot of the PGA led the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee in their tenth report to state:
	The Committee recommends that the Government provides funding for a long-term Pan Government Service Level Agreement to ensure widespread use of Ordnance Survey data across Government, so as to ensure the Government gets the best value for money. This should be done by the start of the 200304 financial year.
	In comparison to the cost of previous agreements and the much more limited use of geographic information they provided, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes that the PGA offers very good value for money for government.

Scout Moor

Janet Anderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by United Utilities and Peel Holdings to erect a windfarm on Scout Moor, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	No representations have been made. The current position is that the application has to go to a public inquiry and arrangements are currently being made and will be formally announced as soon as it is practicable to do so. It will be for the inspector to report his/her findings and it will be on that report which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will base her decision.

Scout Moor

Janet Anderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by Marshalls plc to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application.

Keith Hill: The application to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry is now being dealt with by the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on appeal. This is one of five linked appeals. Two of the other four appeals relate to separate applications, made respectively by Marshalls plc and the other joint operator of the existing Scout Moor Quarry, for a review of the conditions applying to existing operations on that quarry. The remaining two appeals, also made separately by each of the joint operators, are against the terms of the Working Rights Notices issued by Lancashire County Council, declaring that restrictions imposed by the conditions determined would not prejudice adversely the working rights of the operators.
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has received 94 pre-inquiry and three post-inquiry representations on these applications from local residents. Since receipt of the Inspector's report to the public inquiry, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has also received a number of representations from Marshalls plc, the most recent being a letter dated 7 April 2004.
	As will be evident, this multiple application is a complex one and has raised a number of issues that have needed investigation. While no guarantee can be given, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister hopes that these can be resolved and that a decision can be issued within two months.

Small Business Rates Relief Scheme

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which hon. Members have made representations to his Department regarding the concerns of businesses in their constituencies about the low rateable value eligibility threshold of the proposed small business rates relief scheme.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received letters from nearly sixty hon. Members on the rate relief scheme since the enabling provisions were enacted in the Local Government Act 2003 last September. As stated during the passage of the Bill we will be reviewing the thresholds for the scheme in the light of any general increase of rateable values arising from the general revaluation which, like the rate relief scheme, will take effect from 1 April 2005.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Child Psychiatrists

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many consultant child psychiatrists are employed by each of the health boards in Northern Ireland; and how many vacancies there are in each case.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is as follows.
	
		Table 1: Number of consultant child psychiatrists employed in each health board as at 31 March 2004 excluding vacancies
		
			 Health board area Headcount Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Eastern 11 7.65 
			 Western 2 2.00 
			 Northern 2 2.00 
			 Southern 3 3.00 
			 Total 18 14.65 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of consultant child psychiatrist vacancies (including long-term vacancies) by health board as at 31 March 2004
		
			 Health board area Headcount Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Eastern 7 6.30 
			 Western 0 0.00 
			 Northern 0 0.00 
			 Southern 0 0.00 
			 Total 7 6.30 
		
	
	
		Table 3: Number of long-term (vacant more than three months) consultant child psychiatrist vacancies by health board as at 31 March 2004
		
			 Health board area Headcount Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Eastern 5 5.00 
			 Western 0 0.00 
			 Northern 0 0.00 
			 Southern 0 0.00 
			 Total 5 5.00

Family Planning Association

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds have been provided by his Department to the Family Planning Association in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 200304 82,019 
			 200203 78,895 
			 200102 63,800 
			 200001 52,606 
			 19992000 51,323

Foreign Nationals (Support)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support arrangements Government Departments provide for foreign nationals coming to Northern Ireland to work.

John Spellar: Under current EU rules, EU nationals, who come to work in Northern Ireland, are covered for social security purposes, by EC Regulation 1408/71. The aim of the rules is to ensure that employed and self-employed people who exercise their right to free movement are not adversely affected by the application of different national legislation. In addition, there are a number of UK reciprocal bilateral agreements with countries outside the EU. These agreements protect the social security position of workers moving between the two countries during their working lives.
	The Allocation of Housing Regulations (NI) 2004 provide that a person who is not habitually resident in the Common Travel Area comprising the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland, or whose right to reside in that area derives solely from certain European directives, is not eligible to be allocated housing accommodation by the Housing Executive. However, an exception is made for certain classes of persons including workers for the purposes of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68 or (EEC) No. 1251/70 and persons from new EU accession states who are treated as workers for the purpose of the definition of qualified person in regulation 5(1) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2000 pursuant to regulation 5 of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004. The Homelessness Regulations (NI) 2004 make similar provision in respect of access to housing assistance under the homelessness legislation.
	The Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is working to promote race equality for foreign nationals both as service users and as staff in the Health and Personal Social Services. Last year DHSSPS published a Guide to Race Equality in Health and Social Services and also issued guidance on access to information, handling complaints, user involvement and promoting positive staff attitudes to diversity to all HSS boards, trusts and agencies.
	DHSSPS and the HSS trusts, boards and agencies are working together to ensure that people belonging to minority ethnic groups enjoy the access to services that they are entitled to have. This work includes the establishment of a Regional Interpreting Service for health and social services, which is due to come into operation at the end of this month, and initiatives by HPSS organisations including events, websites and information in translation, to improve access to services and to promote diversity.
	DHSSPS recently organised an anti-racism workshop involving trusts, staff side organisations, some overseas staff, and the NI Council for Ethnic Minorities, to help trusts to share good practice and it is currently drafting guidance for employers in the health sector on how best to support their minority ethnic staff including those from overseas.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) average and (b) current longest waiting times are for a (i) emergency, (ii) urgent and (iii) routine dermatology assessment in each health trust area.

Barry Gardiner: The information on waiting lists and waiting times that is collected centrally is on the basis of time bands.
	(a) It is not possible to derive an average from this information.
	(b) The longest wait occurs in the 24+ months time band,
	(i)(iii) Information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information on patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment is collected at Trust and specialty level. The latest available waiting list statistics show the position at 31 March 2004.
	
		Table 1: Number of patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment in the dermatology specialty
		
			  Time waiting (months) 
			 Provider Trust 02 311 1217 1823 24+ Total 
		
		
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 974 321 10 0 1 1,306 
			 Down and Lisburn HSS Trust 258 314 124 63 15 774 
			 Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust 105 142 55 66 9 377 
			 The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 646 614 110 31 65 1,466 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 941 1,449 207 245 361 3,203 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 357 579 192 74 0 1,202 
			 United Hospitals HSS Trust 575 395 111 75 57 1,213 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 123 23 0 0 0 146 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 853 283 18 8 1 1,163 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 439 22 1 0 0 462 
			 Altnagelvin Area Hospitals HSS Trust 1,092 530 1 0 0 1,623 
			 Northern Ireland 6,363 4,672 829 562 509 12,935

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure that all multiple sclerosis sufferers who would benefit from beta interferon or glatiramer are receiving that treatment.

Barry Gardiner: An additional 3.1 million for the provision of specialist drugs, including 100,000 specifically to provide the infrastructure to treat more people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), was allocated to Boards in 200203. This funding has been uplifted for inflation and is provided on a recurrent basis. As well as recruiting additional consultants, additional nursing and pharmacy staff have been appointed together with Specialist MS nurses to provide patient education and support.
	Currently 511 patients in Northern Ireland are receiving beta interferon treatment and there are around 70 on the waiting list.
	My Department will continue to seek additional resources for specialist medicines that offer the potential for significant improvement in patient care.

Housing Benefit

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes he plans to the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants.

John Spellar: There are no plans at present to change the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants.

Ice Hockey

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent (a) meetings have been held and (b) representations have been made by the Sports Council to promote the development of amateur ice hockey in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland met with representatives with an interest in the sport of ice hockey as follows.
	The NI Ice Hockey Federation in November 2003
	Castlereagh Borough Council in November 2003
	Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club in January 2004
	A further meeting has been planned for 16 June 2004 with representatives from the Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club.

Ice Hockey

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Sports Council recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association; and what individuals the Sports Council understands to constitute the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association.

Angela Smith: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland does not recognise the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as this body is no longer operational. The Sports Council now officially recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation, in place of the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as the governing body in Northern Ireland. It is understood that there is one member clubthe Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Clubwhich is affiliated to the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation.

Juvenile Justice Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what external investigations took place into the two escapes by young offenders from the Juvenile Justice Centre; how many managers were on duty within each unit from which an escape was made; and if he will make a statement on security at the centre.

John Spellar: This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that no external investigations took place. However the Director of the Juvenile Justice Centre ordered two internal investigations and a number of recommendations for improving security were made. On each escape there were three managers on duty, one of whom was on-site. The Social Services Inspectorate subsequently reviewed the escape episodes and observed the additional security measures which had already been implemented.

Juvenile Justice Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what access the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has had to the Juvenile Justice Centre since its opening; and if he will list (a) the representations received from the NIHRC and (b) the meetings the centre's director has had with commissioners.

John Spellar: This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the Director of Custody and other senior staff at the centre met with two investigators of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) on 13 January 2004. They were then given a tour of various parts of the centre. The NIHRC has written on a number of occasions requesting access to the Juvenile Justice Centre for the purpose of conducting a review. Appropriate access, taking account of the planned inspection of the centre by the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice, has been offered.

Juvenile Justice Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for the running of the Juvenile Justice Centre; what the gender mix of management is at (a) weekends and (b) public holidays; and what qualifications they have in (i) social work and (ii) management.

John Spellar: This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the gender balance of on-site and on call managers varies according to the rota each weekend and public holiday. The centre strives to achieve a balance where possible. The on call managers are qualified staff. While there is no requirement for the on-site managers to be qualified in either social work or management, it should be emphasised that they do possess the necessary competences and experience to carry out their roles effectively. The Director of Custody is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Juvenile Justice Centre.

Medical Notes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the rights of families to seek access to the medical notes of relatives who die in hospital.

Barry Gardiner: Where a patient has died, the patient's personal representative and any person who may have a claim arising out of the patient's death, may make an application to the holder of the health record, for access to the health record or to any part of the health record.
	However, where such an application is made, access shall not be given if the record includes a note, made at the patient's request, that he or she did not wish access to be given on such an application.
	In addition, access shall not be given to any part of a health record which, in the opinion of the holder of the record, would disclose:
	(i) information likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any individual, or,
	(ii) information relating to, or provided by an individual other than the patient, who could be identified from that information.

Multiple Limb Disability

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province have congenital multiple limb disability.

Ian Pearson: Information on the number of individuals with congenital multiple limb disability is not collected centrally. However, the following table shows the total number of children born in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive who were recorded as having any type of congenital malformation of their limbs.
	
		
			  Number of children 
		
		
			 1997 428 
			 1998 393 
			 1999 447 
			 2000 349 
			 2001 550 
			 2002 510 
			 2003 553 
		
	
	Note:
	As a child may be recorded in more than one category of malformation, there may be an element of double counting in the figures.
	Source:
	Child Health System.

Omagh Bombing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made during the past 12 months in the police investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Within the past 12 months one person has been charged with serious terrorist related offences, including one connected to the Omagh Bomb. There have been other significant developments that it would not be appropriate to disclose at this stage of the investigation.

Omagh Bombing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers are working on the investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Omagh investigation, by its nature, requires substantial resourcing. It is currently one of the largest and most protracted investigations ever to have been conducted within the United Kingdom. The actual number of officers deployed at any given time varies according to the most efficient use of resources within the Crime Operations Department.

Omagh Bombing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the investigation of the police into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998 has ascertained what happened to the threat book from Omagh police station for the period covering the weeks immediately prior to 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Senior Investigating Officer has carried out detailed investigations into intelligence relating to threats in the period immediately prior to the Omagh Bomb. The threat book referred to was a document that recorded those threats and would not in itself add to the investigation.

Public Angling Estate

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to ensure adequate disability access to the Public Angling Estate.

Angela Smith: A number of the waters within the Public Angling Estate are accessible to anglers with disabilities, with special facilities, including car parks, paths, fishing stands, and a hoist to facilitate angling from boats, provided at some. Representatives of persons with disabilities have undertaken access studies at a number of waters and have provided appropriate advice to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
	The Department is committed to continuing to upgrade and enhance the facilities at its waters for anglers with disabilities and will continue to consult with those groups representing the disabled.

Recruitment Practices

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is towards the recruitment practice of collective shortlisting without individual notes of assessments being taken and only a score or pass mark being recorded.

Paul Murphy: Recruitment to the Northern Ireland Civil Service and to the Home Civil Service in Northern Ireland Office is carried out in accordance with Northern Ireland and Great Britain Commissioners' Recruitment Codes respectively. Collective shortlisting is not practised.
	The Commissioners' codes state that those making appointments to the Civil Service must adhere to the following requirements:
	applicants are considered equally on merit at each stage of the selection process;
	selection is based on relevant criteria applied consistently to all candidates;
	selection criteria are objective, reliable and guard against bias;
	applicants are aware which criteria will be used at eligibility sift stage;
	if it is considered that shortlisting may be necessary to reduce numbers to manageable proportions, applicants are aware which job criteria will be used and in what way.
	In order to adhere to the requirements it is the practice of the Civil Service that each application is examined and a determination made if the candidate satisfies each of the eligibility and if appropriate shortlisting criteria. Candidates who fail to satisfy one or more of the required criteria are offered feedback explaining the decisions reached.

Sports Facilities

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in relation to the establishment of a new sports ground development programme; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The establishment of the new Sports Grounds Development Programme is a matter for the Sports Council for Northern Ireland which is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. I can confirm that the Sports Council recently completed risk assessment exercises in relation to the new programme and is now implementing the recommendations of these. It has also recently concluded discussions on proposals for taking forward the programme with the governing bodies of those sports identified as of the highest priority from its risk assessments. The Sports Council is considering the outcome of these discussions and the new programme is expected to be launched in the near future.

Sports Governing Bodies

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are applied by the Sports Council when deciding to recognise a governing body for any sport.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 395W.

TRANSPORT

Clapham Junction

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Clapham Junction railway station (a) to have lift access to platforms and (b) to have resolved the problem of gaps between platforms and passenger trains.

Tony McNulty: The SRA is beginning development work on solutions to improve the accessibility of stations to ensure both stations and train services meet the accessibility requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This will apply to train operating companies that lease stations, including Clapham Junction.
	Network Rail also has a programme to evaluate the risk from platform stepping distances and to identify where it is reasonably practicable to make improvements. The programme is ongoing and risk based and will be subject to acceptance by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI).
	The delivery and timing of any works arising from these programmes will be subject to prioritisation and the availability of funding following the outcome of the Spending Review.

Congestion Charging Schemes

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers the proposed elected regional assemblies will have (a) to (i) modify and (ii) block congestion charging schemes agreed by a local authority and (b) to introduce congestion charging schemes.

Tony McNulty: There are no plans to give such powers to elected regional assemblies.

Departmental Secondments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department and its agencies were seconded from the (a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002. All information dates from 29 May 2002.
	
		
			 Department/Agency (a) Private sector (b) Academic sector 
		
		
			 Department for Transport (Centre) 1 ended in 200304, 3 active 1 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0 0 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 0 0 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 0 0 
			 Driving Standards Agency 0 0 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 0 0 
			 Highways Agency 2 ended in 200304, none active 0

Falmouth Harbour Revision Order

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the Falmouth Harbour Revision Order 2004.

David Jamieson: I have received representations from some harbour users opposing the making of this Order, primarily on the grounds that the proposed arrangements do not provide for an adequate degree of accountability of the Harbour Commissioners.

Falmouth Harbour Revision Order

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend the Falmouth Harbour Revision Order 2004.

David Jamieson: We are now in the process of considering the representations we have received and will make an announcement when this has been completed.

Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants the Department has given to the research and development of Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: pursuant to the reply, 16 June 2004, Official Report, c. 933W
	This research builds on an earlier project that was carried out between 1997 and 2000 at a cost of 557,997.

Mental Health

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport was established following machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
	The Department does not have details of the number of staff who may have left the Department because of anxiety, stress, depression or other mental health reasons.
	The Department has a Stress at Work Policy in place and recognises the legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for employees.

PFI/PPP Schemes

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) book value of the stakeholding, (b) onward sale price and (c) arrangements for sharing any windfall gain from subsequent refinancing arrangements are for each of the private finance initiative and public private partnership schemes his Department has entered into where there has been an onward sale of the private sector stakeholding into secondary market.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport does not hold data on (a) book value of stakeholding or (b) onward sale price on PFI/PPP projects it sponsors. With respect to item (c) , the Department is not aware of any circumstances in which the onward sale of an ownership stake would alter the sharing arrangements of refinancing gains. Such provisions have never been included in central guidance on the Standardisation of PFI Contracts (SoPC), or in the provisions of departmental PPP contracts.

Rail Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to provide fast train services from Pendle to Manchester.

Tony McNulty: There are no plans to introduce fast train services from Pendle to Manchester. A new Northern franchise has been competitively tendered. This will include local and regional services to Manchester.

Strategic Rail Authority

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) consultants and (b) contractors have been employed by the Strategic Rail Authority or employed on matters in each year since its creation expressed in full-time equivalent posts.

Tony McNulty: Consultants are employed on defined, temporary taskstypically studies into particular propositionsand their employment cannot be equated to SRA staff posts. Contractors, by contrast, may at times fill staff posts in lieu of permanently employed SRA staff.
	Data was not held in the form requested for the full period since the SRA was set up in February 2001. The available figures are as follows:
	
		
			  February 2001 August 2002 March 2003 March 2004 
		
		
			 Contractors on projects   69 135 
			 Contractors covering vacancies   64 37 
			 Other temporary staff   22 9 
			 Total 66 90 155 181

Transport Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcome was of the Transport Council held on 1011 June; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: The transport session of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council met in Luxembourg on 11 June. I represented the UK.
	The Council reached a General Approach on a Directive on enhancing port security. The agreement was based on a Presidency compromise text, which the UK was able to accept. The Directive will, complement Regulation 725/2004 on enhancing ship and port facility security adopted in March 2004.
	The Council reached Political Agreement on a Directive on ship-source pollution and the introduction of sanctions, including criminal sanctions, for pollution offences. The agreement was on the basis of a revised text, which met many of the concerns of the UK relating to equity, consistency with international law and the apportionment of responsibilities between the First and Third Pillars of the European Union. The agreed text does differ from MARPOL; however, the UK and likeminded Member States did not command sufficient votes to prevent political agreement from being reached on this basis.
	Reports to the Council on maritime issues under AOB dealt with: ratification of maritime conventions, identification documents for seafarers, and the recent maritime safety forum organised by the Presidency.
	The Council reached agreement on a number of aspects of the Galileo satellite navigation project. Council conclusions were adopted calling for continuing progress in work leading to implementation of the project. Political Agreement was reached on a Council Regulation on the establishment of management structures. The Council adopted two Decisions on Galileo external relations, the first a cooperation agreement with Israel and the second an agreement with the USA on the operation of Galileo and the GPS. All of the agreed texts were acceptable to the UK.
	The Council did not reach Political Agreement on the proposal to amend Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructure (the 'Eurovignette' Directive). The key stumbling block to agreement at the March Council had been the hypothecation of revenues to the transport sector. At this Council, I re-stated that the UK cannot accept mandatory hypothecation and that decisions on how to spend revenue raised from road charging should be left to the discretion of member states. Further examination of this and other aspects of the text will now be carried out, so that the proposal can be put to a future Council.
	The Council reached Political Agreement on a Regulation amending current legislation on drivers hours' legislation that applies to certain drivers' of large commercial vehicles, and on a Directive on enforcement of those hours. Both of the agreed texts were acceptable to the United Kingdom.
	The Council considered a proposal for harmonising weekend driving bans for heavy goods vehicles involved in international transport. A number of member states (including the UK) indicated that they were not in a position to support this. The proposal could be brought to a future Council.
	The Council did not reach Political Agreement on those proposals relating to cabin crew training and flight time limitations contained within the draft Regulation amending Regulation 3922/91 on harmonised operational safety standards and administrative procedures in civil aviation (EU-OPS).
	There was an exchange of views on EU-US air transport, based on a report from the Commission on its negotiations with the US. I was joined by other Ministers in stating that an agreement on the lines proposed would be unbalanced, and should not be accepted. It was agreed by the Council that urgent efforts should be made by the Commission in further negotiations with the US, with the overall aim of improving the balance.
	There were two aviation items taken under AOB. The Commission reported on progress on passenger name records and on the proposal for mandates for negotiation on air transport with certain neighbouring countries.
	Also under AOB, the Presidency gave a progress report on the third package of rail transport measures.

Working Time Directive

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees in his Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport has (a) 37 staff who have signed a waiver allowing them to work more than the maximum hours allowed under the Working Time Directive; (b) no staff who are exempt from the Working Time Directive. There are 26 staff who have recorded hours in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the 17 week period up to the week commencing 31 May 2004. These figures cover the central Department only.
	The Department for Transport is committed to reducing the number of staff who are required to work in excess of 48 hours a week to an absolute minimum commensurate with meeting operational needs.

WORK AND PENSIONS

New Deal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the New Deal (a) by region and (b) by London borough in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The available information is in the table.
	
		New Deal spend by region/country(19) -- Rounded to nearest  million
		
			 Region/country 199798(20) 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 East Midlands and Eastern(21) 0 9 23 32 27 n/a n/a 
			 East Midlands(21) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 18 18 
			 East of England(21) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 10 12 
			 Northern(21) 0 12 25 28 29 n/a n/a 
			 North East(21) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 26 27 
			 North West 0 14 37 40 38 37 42 
			 London and South East(21) (21)0 21 53 49 36 n/a n/a 
			 London(21) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 38 54 
			 South East(21) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 11 13 
			 South West 0 9 17 19 16 16 15 
			 West Midlands 0 8 20 22 26 26 27 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 18 37 39 31 32 30 
			 Scotland 0 10 34 40 35 38 39 
			 Wales 0 7 20 23 19 21 20 
		
	
	(19) Figures are for regional programme spend and exclude head office and other departmental costs.
	(20) Regional programme spend was less than 1 million per region in 199798.
	(21) From April 2002 the nine Employment Service regions/countries were reorganised into 11 Jobcentre Plus regions/countries: East Midlands and Eastern region was split in to two regions (East Midlands region and East of England region). London and South East region was split in to two regions (London region and South East region). Northern region was also renamed as North East region at that time.
	Note:
	Information is not available broken down by local authority.
	Source:
	Employment Service regional records 199798 to 200102 and Jobcentre Plus regional records from 200203 onwards.

New Deal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were working in permanent New Deal placements (a) by region and (b) by London borough in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The information is only available for New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus.
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

New Deal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people registered with the New Deal failed to be placed in permanent employment after (a) six months and (b) 12 months in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) region and (ii) London borough.

Jane Kennedy: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Benefit Payments

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) volume and (b) value of underpayments of benefits to pensioners in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: Some information is available for the Minimum Income Guarantee, Retirement Pension and Housing Benefit, but is not available in the format requested. Underpayments of Council Tax Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance and Pension Credit are not included as there are no figures available currently.
	Underpayments of benefits to pensioners in receipt of Minimum Income Guarantee which result from claimant and official error are estimated and reported in regular National Statistics publications.
	The latest figures available are:
	200102: Approx 65 million (equivalent to 1.4 per cent. of total MIG expenditure)
	200203: Approx 68 million (equivalent to 1.5 per cent. of total MIG expenditure)
	The estimates are based on samples of cases and are therefore subject to sampling error.
	Underpayments of State Pension resulting from claimant and official error are estimated each year. These estimates are based on very small samples and have large margins of error therefore there is a high variance in the amounts quoted.
	The latest figures available are:
	19992000: Approx 66 million
	200001: Approx 118 million
	200102: Approx 88 million
	200203: Approx 84 million
	These figures are equivalent to between 0.2 per cent. and 0.3 per cent. of expenditure.
	For 200203 around 8.1 per cent.of all Housing Benefit cases (not pensioner specific) had underpayments associated with them, resulting in underpayments worth around 1 0 per cent. (approximately 100 million) of total HB expenditure. Many of the underpayments were of small value, hence the difference between the 8.1 per cent. and the 1.0 per cent.
	The next Housing Benefit Review report, reporting the level of fraud and error in Housing Benefit (HB) up to September 2003, will be published on 12 August as National Statistics, and will contain a breakdown of HB underpayments for pensioners.

Benefit Payments

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much (a) disability benefit and (b) other support has been distributed to eating disorder sufferers in each of the last five years.

Chris Pond: The information requested is not available.

Benefit Penalties

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed people suffered benefit penalties in each year since 1997, broken down by reason for the penalty.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Number of jobseekers allowance sanctions imposed
		
			  Year to March 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Discharge from HM forces 4 12 5 8 5 6 6 3 
			 Leaving employment voluntarily 36,573 (JSA) 109,994 103,206 86,226 85,965 73,186 77,277 69,381 
			  64,461 (UB)
			 Losing employment through misconduct 7, 155 (JSA) 22,357 22,682 18,888 16,430 15,939 16,497 13,760 
			  15,599 (UB)
			 Not taken advantage of an opportunity of employment 86 (JSA) 244 146 85 57 52 38 28 
			  446 (UB)
			 Refusal of employment 4,098 (JSA) 21,906 11,118 19,169 26,370 38,216 43,398 29,679 
			  1,140 (UB)
			 Giving up place on training scheme/employment programme 121 882 3,888 6,146 4,236 2,859 3,232 2,690 
			 Losing place on training scheme/employment programmemisc 183 1,049 2,222 5,671 6,465 6,178 6,954 6,727 
			 Refusal of place on training scheme/employment programme 130 205 380 1,335 838 308 281 347 
			 Not taken advantage of place on a training scheme/employment programme 19 45 527 1,089 956 144 97 97 
			 Failed to attend place on training scheme/employment programme(22) 310 3,897 7,028 12,637 17,652 19,493 20,383 19,793 
			 Refusal/failure to carry out a JS direction 215 1,027 2,218 7,277 5,542 3,819 3,676 3,755 
			 Total 130,540 161,618 153,420 158,531 164,516 160,200 171,839 146,260 
		
	
	(22) Including New Deal for Young People
	Note:
	JSA was introduced on 7 October 1996 and replaced Unemployment Benefit (UB).
	Figures are given for both benefits.
	Source:
	Labour Market StatisticsAnalysis of Sector Decision Making.

Carers

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of not offsetting carers' allowance against (a) the basic state pension and (b) other benefits.

Chris Pond: The gross cost of exempting all pensioners in receipt of Carer's Allowance from the overlapping benefits rule would be around 221 million. After adjusting for offsets in income-related benefits the cost would be around 145 million. The gross cost for non-pensioners would be around 109 million or around 50 million after adjustments for offsets.
	Notes:
	1. Estimates use benefit rates for 200304 and are based on a 100 per cent. extract of Carer's Allowance claims on the Carer's Allowance computer system for May 2003, a 5 per cent. extract from the claims on the Income Support computer systems in 2003 and a 1 per cent. extract of the Housing Benefit/Council Tax benefit claims of May 2002. 2. These costs do not take account of the introduction of Pension Credit where Carer's Allowance is taken fully into account but an additional amount, the carer's premium (currently 25.55 per week), may be awarded in respect of the caring. 3. The figures take no account of the behavioural effect of carers who have not claimed a Carer's Allowance but who would be induced to do so if the overlapping benefits rule was abolished.

Departmental Secondments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department and its agencies were seconded from the (a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Numbers of staff recorded as having been seconded in to the Department and its predecessor organisations (Department of Social Security and Employment Service) from the private sector and academic sector.
		
			  Secondments from the private sector Secondments from the academic sector 
		
		
			 200102 8 0 
			 200203 27 4 
			 200304 19 3 
		
	
	Note:
	200304 figures are provisional.

Disabled Workers

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the measures introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Manchester Central over the last seven years.

Maria Eagle: We have a number of measures in place nationally to help improve conditions for disabled people at work, as well as measures to improve their access to services generally. None of these are specific to Manchester Central, but all are available to disabled people who live and work there.
	From 1996, the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act required most employers of 20 or more staff not to discriminate against, and to make reasonable adjustments for, disabled job applicants or employees; in December 1998, we reduced this threshold to 15 employees. From October this year, the small employer exemption will be removed and most currently excluded occupations, such as police officers, fire-fighters, and partners in business partnerships will be brought within the scope of the Disability Discrimination Act employment provisions.
	Jobcentre Plus runs a number of specialist programmes providing help for disabled people, including New Deal for Disabled People, Workstep, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme, and Work Preparation. All these programmes provide practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. Since 199798 there have been year on year increases in both numbers helped and programme spend.
	To help people access appropriate help, Jobcentre Plus has established a network of Disability Service Teams. The teams are made up of Disability Employment Advisors, Access to Work Advisers and Occupational Psychologists; their services are accessed through local Jobcentres.
	Since April 2003, disabled people in work have been receiving financial support through the Working Tax Credit. This is available if a person is working an average of at least 16 hours per week (self-employed or for an employer); and have a disability which puts them at a disadvantage in getting a job. 70,000 families (including over 32,000 adults without children) are benefiting from the disability element within the Working Tax Credit, compared to 38,000 who benefited from the old Disabled Person's Tax Credit.

Gender Pay Gap

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the pay gap between men and women employed by his Department and its agencies in (a) Southampton, (b) Eastleigh, (c) Winchester and (d) Romsey.

Chris Pond: There is no official assessment made of pay differentials between men and women employed by the Department and its agencies in the specific geographical areas referred to. The following table and associated notes show an analysis of mean salaries of staff working in DWP offices in the Southampton area by gender. This analysis shows that the mean salary of a man is 98.7 per cent. of the mean salary of a woman.
	
		
			  Male Female Difference (percentage) 
		
		
			 Total staff in post 164.7 406.2  
			 Total basic salary () 2,746,425 6,856,672  
			 Mean salary () 16,663 16,882 1.31 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The Southampton Area table shows salaries for staff in workplaces with an SO post code prefix. This includes Southampton, Eastleigh, Hythe, Romsey, Totton, Woolston, and Winchester.
	2. Salaries have been calculated on the basis of Whole Time Equivalents, meaning full time staff count as one and part time staff count as a proportion of one depending on their work pattern. Salaries are accordingly pro-rated on the basis of the work pattern. The salaries used are basic rates excluding allowances, overtime and any employer's contributions for NI or occupational pensions.
	3. The percentage difference has been calculated by dividing the value of the difference into the lower mean salary. This calculation shows that the mean salary of women is 1.31 per cent. higher than the mean salary of men.
	The gender differential in DWP overall is that men earn on average 4.8 per cent. more than women. This figure is calculated using the salaries of all staff within DWP excluding the Senior Civil Service. The differences between male and female mean salaries change by grade. In the administrative grades that predominate in DWP offices, such as those in the Southampton area, female mean salaries are higher. In the executive grades, male mean salaries are higher. In the Southampton area, 93 per cent. of staff are in Bands A/AA, B/AO and C/EO. Looking at the comparable selection for DWP overall the gender differential is 1.39 per cent. with women earning more than men.
	The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) suggests that, as a general guide, any gender differences of 5 per cent. or more, or patterns of differences of 3 per cent. or more will require exploration and explanation. The Department for Work and Pensions are committed to reviewing their pay policies to ensure that they are compliant with the current equal pay legislation and do not either directly or indirectly discriminate against any group of employees. An Equal Pay Audit is currently being undertaken to review existing policies and to inform the development of the departmental reward strategy.
	All jobs that relate to the grades mentioned above are gender-neutral, that is, there is no reason why they should not be performed by men or women. There is therefore no likelihood of any gender-based variances being due to the requirement for work to be performed by staff of a particular gender.
	Source:
	DWP Dataview for December 2003 extracted from FAMIS and Rebus payroll systems.

Mr. Graham Cotton

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to resolve the case of Mr. Graham Cotton of Olton in Solihull, a Qa pensioner who has not received his compensation.

Malcolm Wicks: We cannot comment on individual cases but have much sympathy with those who have lost out through the closure of occupational pension schemes.
	That is why we have introduced the Pension Protection Fund. The Pension Protection Fund forms part of a substantial and balanced package of measures. It will significantly improve both protection for pension scheme members and confidence in pensions in general.
	On the question of financial assistance for those who will not be covered by the Pension Protection Fund, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 82W.

New Deal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on the New Deal for young people in Greater London in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Jane Kennedy: The available information is in the table.
	
		Spend on New Deal for young people in Greater London
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 25.007 
			 200203 32.959 
			 200304 (23)50.563 
		
	
	(23) Forecast outturn.
	Notes:
	1. Information is for financial rather than calendar years.
	2. Figures are only available for the Jobcentre Plus London region, rather than the Greater London local authority area.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Finance Division.

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of participants left the New Deal for Young People for sustained jobs in each quarter since the start of the programme.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Quarter Number leaving New Deal for Young People of which to a known destination Number entering sustained employment Percentage leaving to sustained employment Percentage (with a known destination) leaving to sustained employment 
		
		
			 January to March 1998 2,040 1,630 1,040 51.05 64.03 
			 April to June 1998 13,640 10,600 7,440 54.57 70.21 
			 July to September 1998 29,440 22,520 14,080 47.82 62.53 
			 October to December 1998 33,000 23,840 14,160 42.91 59.40 
			 January to March 1999 39,920 28,060 15,970 40.01 56.92 
			 April to June 1999 46,280 32,940 19,580 42.30 59.44 
			 July to September 1999 56,390 41,390 22,800 40.44 55.09 
			 October to December 1999 53,390 39,190 20,640 38.66 52.66 
			 January to March 2000 51,550 37,930 19,780 38.37 52.14 
			 April to June 2000 50,110 36,190 20,810 41.53 57.50 
			 July to September 2000 53,980 39,330 21,900 40.57 55.69 
			 October to December 2000 42,990 31,100 16,610 38.62 53.39 
			 January to March 2001 47,100 34,020 18,150 38.53 53.34 
			 April to June 2001 45,220 32,100 18,220 40.29 56.76 
			 July to September 2001 46,080 32,450 17,790 38.61 54.81 
			 October to December 2001 36,900 25,640 13,280 35.98 51.78 
			 January to March 2002 38,920 26,560 13,500 34.69 50.83 
			 April to June 2002 42,300 28,770 15,830 37.41 55.01 
			 July to September 2002 45,890 31,460 16,680 36.34 53.00 
			 October to December 2002 38,520 25,720 13,290 34.50 51.68 
			 January to March 2003 41,190 26,930 13,110 31.83 48.69 
			 April to June 2003 43,670 28,870 15,710 35.98 54.43 
			 July to September 2003 48,100 32,230 17,000 35.35 52.76 
			 October to December 2003 48,670 31,890 17,620 36.21 55.26 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many starts there have been on each of the four New Deal options since the introduction of the New Deal for Young People; how many have moved into sustained unsubsidised employment; and what proportion this is of starts on each programme.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		New Deal for Young Peoplejob starts from New Deal options(24)
		
			 New Deal for Young People option Total Starts Total sustained unsubsidised jobs Proportion of jobs from starts (percentage) 
		
		
			 Employment option 79,510 33,270 42 
			 Education and training option 173,860 46,800 27 
			 Voluntary sector option 103,380 28,990 28 
			 Environmental task force option 103,310 27,680 27 
		
	
	(24) Data to the end of December 2003.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have taken up the New Deal 50 plus employment credit in each (a) month, (b) quarter and (c) other period for which figures are collected, since the scheme was introduced.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the tables.
	
		New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts each month.
		
			  Month Number of employment credit starts 
		
		
			 April 2000 1,730 
			 May 2000 2,430 
			 June 2000 3,000 
			 July 2000 2,560 
			 August 2000 2,490 
			 September 2000 3,270 
			 October 2000 3,290 
			 November 2000 3,400 
			 December 2000 2,660 
			 January 2001 2,190 
			 February 2001 2,720 
			 March 2001 3,280 
			 April 2001 2,610 
			 May 2001 3,290 
			 June 2001 3,200 
			 July 2001 2,920 
			 August 2001 3,160 
			 September 2001 3,010 
			 October 2001 3,300 
			 November 2001 3,670 
			 December 2001 1,730 
			 January 2002 1,800 
			 February 2002 2,340 
			 March 2002 2,920 
			 April 2002 2,460 
			 May 2002 3,330 
			 June 2002 2,540 
			 July 2002 2,620 
			 August 2002 3,060 
			 September 2002 2,480 
			 October 2002 2,860 
			 November 2002 3,490 
			 December 2002 1,940 
			 January 2003 2,010 
			 February 2003 2,000 
			 March 2003 2,290 
			   
			 Total 98,040 
		
	
	
		New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts in each quarter
		
			  Quarter Number of employment credit starts 
		
		
			 April to June 2000 7,170 
			 July to September 2000 8,310 
			 October to December 2000 9,350 
			 January to March 2001 8,190 
			 April to June 2001 9,100 
			 July to September 2001 9,100 
			 October to December 2001 8,700 
			 January to March 2002 7,060 
			 April to June 2002 8,340 
			 July to September 2002 8,150 
			 October to December 2002 8,280 
			 January to March 2003 6,300 
			   
			 Total 98,040 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures for each quarter may not sum to the total for individual months due to rounding.
	2. From April 2003, the employment credit was replaced by the 50 plus return to work element of working tax credit.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database

New Deal

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many partners have been invited to attend an interview under the New Deal for Partners scheme; how many attended an interview; how many of those ended up participating in the programme; and how many attained sustained jobs as a result.

Jane Kennedy: The effective date for the phased introduction of work focused interviews for partners (WFIP) in Jobcentre Plus areas was 12 April 2004. WFIP processes started as planned on this date and the interviews are now taking place. Information on how many partners have been invited to and attended a work focused interview for partners, and how many have gone on to join the New Deal for Partners and found work, is currently not available. Information is expected to be available in the autumn.

Non-resident UK Pensioners

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK pensioners live in each of the other member states of the European Union; and how much in total is spent on benefit payments to pensioners in each of these countries.

Malcolm Wicks: The table shows the number of people receiving the UK State Pension as at September 2003 and the estimated benefit expenditure for 200304 in each of the EU countries: 
	
		
			 Country Number of people receiving UK State Pension Estimated expenditure 
		
		
			 Austria 4,600 5,500,000 
			 Belgium 4,400 7,360,000 
			 Cyprus 7,800 24,540,000 
			 Czech Republic 100 320,000 
			 Denmark 1,200 2,460,000 
			 Estonia Nil or negligible 
			 Finland 500 1,210,000 
			 France 24,600 75,010,000 
			 Germany 29,400 38,100,000 
			 Greece 2,200 7,070,000 
			 Hungary 400 1,040,000 
			 Ireland 93,800 203,350,000 
			 Italy 29,500 52,740,000 
			 Latvia 100 320,000 
			 Lithuania 100 210,000 
			 Luxembourg 200 630,000 
			 Malta 3,000 8,630,000 
			 Netherlands 6,600 9,760,000 
			 Poland 1,600 3,250,000 
			 Portugal 5,000 16,140,000 
			 Slovak Republic Nil or negligible 
			 Slovenia 100 200,000 
			 Spain 57,700 185,990,000 
			 Sweden 1,600 3,060,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	(25) Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(26) Caseloads less than 500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated with caution. The associated expenditure figures are also subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated likewise.
	(27) Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.
	(28) Ten countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004. People receiving the UK State Pension in Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Slovak Republic did not receive annual uprating before this date. In addition, certain benefits would not have been paid in these countries before 1 May 2004. On enlargement the bilateral Social Security agreements that apply to Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia have been largely superseded by EU legislation. The figures for Cyprus cover all UK State Pension recipients on the island of Cyprus.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent., sample based on September 2003 DWP administrative data.

Official Vehicles

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of official vehicles used by his Department are run on (a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) liquid petroleum gas and (d) compressed natural gas.

Chris Pond: The Department's ministerial vehicles are provided by the Government Car Service. In relation to these vehicles, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 25 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1538W.
	A breakdown of the Department's vehicle fleet at 1 April 2004 by fuel type is in the table. The Department has no vehicles which are run on compressed natural gas.
	
		
			  Numbers Percentage 
		
		
			 Petrol 320 12 
			 Diesel 1,587 61 
			 European IV compliant diesels 78 3 
			 Hybrid electric 19 1 
			 Dual fuel 593 23 
			 Total 2,597 100 
		
	
	Note:
	The Department's dual fuel vehicles are capable of running on both petrol and liquid petroleum gas.

Parliamentary Questions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the net present value is of the expenditure projections shown in the table.

Malcolm Wicks: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the assumptions are for the uprating of each of the benefits covered in the table.

Malcolm Wicks: pursuant to the reply, 25 May 2004, Official Report, c. 1513W
	The current policy on the uprating of the various elements of the expenditures table found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ad/asd4/Table3 Long Term Projections.xls is given in Table 1.
	These policies are applied when estimating the expenditure on these benefits for future years, using the latest HM Treasury medium term assumptions for the annual movements up to 200607. For long-term projections beyond 200607, assumptions as found in Table 2 are used.
	
		Table 1: Assumptions for the uprating of various pensioner benefits
		
			 Benefit Uprating assumption 
		
		
			 Basic State Pension RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin 
			 State Earnings-Related Pension/State Second Pension RPI / Earnings / Constant (depending on element) 
			 Pension Credit Guarantee Credit: Earnings Savings Credit: RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin Additional Amounts: Rossi 
			 Winter Fuel Payments Constant 
			 Over 75s TV licences RPI + 1.5 per cent. 
			 Christmas Bonus Constant 
			 Housing-related Benefits n/a 
			 Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance RPI 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Long-term assumptions for various indices, as used in for long-term expenditure projections
		
			  Index Long-term assumption (percentage) 
		
		
			 RPI 2.58 
			 RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin 2.83 
			 Rossi 2.33 
			 Earnings 4.58

Parliamentary Questions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2004, Official Report, column 1040W, on benefit payments (pensioners), whether the percentage figures include both pensioners in a couple in receipt of their benefits.

Malcolm Wicks: The percentage figures are based on the number of individuals aged 60 or over in a benefit unit, which includes both the benefit claimants and their partners.

Pensions

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the future of pension centres; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: We have received a number of representations on the future of pension centres.
	As we said at the time of the budget, we will come forward with more developed departmental plans following discussions with our unions and when the spending review process has been completed.

Pensions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of whether members of the Cheney, Warwick Group and Debenholt and Kalamazoo pension schemes will be considered for assistance under the provisions of the Pensions Bill in respect of employees who have lost pension benefits following the wind-up of occupational pension schemes.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to my previous reply on 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 82W.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pension units, (b) pensioner couples and (c) single pensioners had incomes below the median pensioner income in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion this is of total pensioners in each case.

Malcolm Wicks: Median net income before housing costs for pensioner units (pensioner couples and single pensioners) is 189 a week. The following tables show the number of and proportion of pensioner couples and single pensioners with cash income above and below this amount. Because of the different needs of single and pensioner couples these results should not be taken to reflect their relative living standards.
	Tables 1a and 1b show the number of single pensioners and pensioner couple with weekly net income above and below this level on a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC) basis. Tables 2a and 2b show the proportion of each type of Pensioner Unit with income below the median level on a BHC and AHC basis.
	
		Table 1a: Numbers below median net income (BHC)
		
			  Pensioner couples Single pensioners All pensioner units 
		
		
			 Below median 550,000 2,850,000 3,450,000 
			 Above median 2,200,000 1,250,000 3,450,000 
			 Total 2,750,000 4,100,000 6,850,000 
		
	
	
		Table 1b: Number below median net income (AHC)
		
			  Pensioner couples Single pensioners All pensioner units 
		
		
			 Below median 550,000 2,850,000 3,450,000 
			 Above median 2,150,000 1,250,000 3,450,000 
			 Total 2,750,000 4,100,000 6,850,000 
		
	
	
		Table 2a: Proportions under median income (BHC)
		
			  Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage) 
		
		
			 Pensioner couples 20 
			 Single pensioners 70 
			 All pensioner units 50 
		
	
	
		Table 2b: Proportions under median income (AHC)
		
			  Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage) 
		
		
			 Pensioner couples 21 
			 Single pensioners 70 
			 All pensioner units 50 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Statistics based on Family Resources Survey data 2002/3 for Great Britain.
	2. Results in tables 1a and 1b are rounded to the nearest 50,000due to rounding rows and columns may not sum to totals. Results in tables 2a and 2b rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.
	3. The median net income of 189 for all pensioner units is based on unequivalised cash income.
	4. The results are based on the incomes of the pensioner units themselves, it excludes any income from any other members of the households they are living in.
	5. Single pensioners are defined as people above the State Pension Age, Pensioner Couples are defined as couples where the man is above State Pension Age. This is consistent with definitions used in the Pensioners' Incomes series.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates he has made of the proportions of pension income coming from (a) state benefits and (b) funded pensions and other private services in each year since 199697.

Malcolm Wicks: The following table shows the proportion of pension income coming from state and private sources in each year from 199697 to 200203.
	
		Proportion of state benefit and private pension and other private asset income -- Percentage
		
			  State benefit Private pension and investment income 
		
		
			 199697 58 42 
			 199798 57 43 
			 199899 56 44 
			 19992000 57 43 
			 200001 55 45 
			 200102 57 43 
			 200203 57 43 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. State benefit income corresponds to benefit income as defined in the Pensioners' Income Series. The three main sources of benefit income are state retirement pension, disability benefit and income related benefits.
	2. Private pension and other asset income corresponds to the sum of occupational pension income, personal pension income and investment income.
	3. Estimates are subject to sampling error therefore definitive conclusions can not be drawn from small year-on-year changes in proportions.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey 199697 to 200203.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Manchester Central have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. member to the answer that I gave him on 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1811W.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Manchester Central have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of senior citizens in Manchester Central who received a Winter Fuel Payment in each year since 19992000 (including provisional figures for 200304) is in the table. Information relating to the 199798 and 199899 winters is not available.
	
		
			 Year Payments 
		
		
			 19992000 11,810 
			 200001 12,560 
			 200102 12,370 
			 200203 12,295 
			 200304 12,120 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. Please note that the figures for 20032004 refer only to the main payment run i.e. they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). However, since late payment runs are mainly in respect of non-system cases whose claim had not been received by Qualifying Week, they are heavily skewed towards men aged 60.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

Work Incentives (Homeless Households)

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he plans to introduce to increase work incentives for statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation.

Chris Pond: Homeless people who are at a distinct disadvantage in the labour market, and who are claiming benefits, are entitled to early access to the range of help available from Jobcentre Plus, such as the New Deal. This includes those statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation. In addition, Jobcentre Plus is also piloting specialised support for clients who have additional barriers to work including homelessness. These pilots are aimed at helping homeless people, alcohol misusers and offenders move into work. There are progress2work-Linkllp pilots based in 22 Jobcentre Plus Districts.

Working Time Directive

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees in his Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions discourages staff from working excess hours as a matter of principle, as it runs contrary to the values which the Department holds on respecting people, and reflects its concerns as a reasonable employer for employees' work/life balance. All timesheets are locally checked on a monthly basis with responsibility devolved to individual line managers to monitor the situation.
	Where employees in the Department for Work and Pensions wish to opt out of the Working Time Directive, managers are instructed to explore all available alternatives such as redesigning jobs and allocating extra resources to avoid excess hours being worked. At the end of that process, employees in the Department who still wish to opt out are required to sign an opt out agreement. A register of such staff is maintained centrally.
	In 2003 there were 13 staff in the Department in pay bands up to Unified Grade 6 who had recorded such an opt out and eight in senior civil service pay bands.
	Statistics for the year ending May 2004 are in the process of being collated and figures should be available by the end of June.
	No employees are covered by sector specific provisions.
	Information is not held centrally on the numbers of staff who have recorded hours in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive, including any accruing on a flexitime basis. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Aldehydes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the carcinogenic effects of aldehydes on humans.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has not commissioned research in this area.
	The committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment provided advice in 1995 on the carcinogenicity of acetaldehyde in the context of their review of the carcinogenicity of alcoholic beverages. The committee noted that acetaldehyde has been shown to induce malignant nasal tumours in rats and laryngeal carcinomas in hamsters following inhalation exposure to high concentrations. They concluded that the observation of these tumours in animals was not relevant to human consumption of alcoholic drinks.
	The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants considered the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde when drawing up a statement on the effects on health of aldehydes in ambient air in 2000. They concluded that although formaldehyde is a carcinogen in rats, the risks to humans associated with exposure to ambient concentrations, if any, is extremely small.

Allergies

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients by region were referred for allergies treatment in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by region.

Stephen Ladyman: That information is not collected centrally. However, the table shows the count of finished admission episodes by strategic health authority in England with allergy as the primary cause for 200203.
	
		Primary diagnosis or external cause of admission related to an allergy condition(29); count of finished admission episodes by strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment; national health service hospitals, England 200203
		
			   SHA of residence Total episodes 
		
		
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 3,052 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 1,400 
			 Q03 Essex HA 1,265 
			 Q04 North West London HA 992 
			 Q05 North Central London HA 953 
			 Q06 North East London HA 1,104 
			 Q07 South East London HA 910 
			 Q08 South West London HA 827 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 1,720 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 1,692 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 1,504 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire HA 1,722 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 2,432 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester HA 3,295 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside ha 3,209 
			 Q16 Thames Valley HA 1,627 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 2,052 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway HA 1,384 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex HA 2,830 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 2,877 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula HA 2,836 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset HA 2,214 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire HA 1,531 
			 Q24 Trent HA 4,017 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 1,431 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 1,021 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 2,390 
			 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA 1,085 
			 U Englandnot otherwise specified 24 
			 W Wales 162 
			 S Scotland 56 
			 X Foreign (including Isle of Man and Channel Islands) 100 
			 Z Northern Ireland 10 
			 Y Unknown 280 
			
			 England NHS hospitals 54,004 
		
	
	(29) Primary (ICD-10) Diagnosis Codes
	T78.0 Anaphylactic shock due to adverse food reaction
	T78.1 Other adverse food reactions, nec
	T78.2 Anaphylactic shock, unspecified
	T78.4 Allergy, unspecified
	T80.5 Anaphylactic shock due to serum
	T80.6 Other serum reactions
	T88.6 Anaphylactic shock due to adverse effect of correct drug or medicament properly administered
	T88.7 Unspecified adverse effect of drug and medicament
	J30.1 Allergic rhinitis due to pollen (hayfever)
	J30.2 Other seasonal allergic rhinitis
	J30.3 Other allergic rhinitis
	J30.4 Allergic rhinitis unspecified
	J45.0 Predominantly allergic asthma
	K52.2 Allergic dietetic gastroenteritis and colitis
	L23.Allergic contact dermatitis
	External cause (Secondary ICD-10) codes
	Y40-Y59 Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use
	Notes:
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.
	3. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics Department of Health.

Anti-depressants

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose.

Rosie Winterton: A number of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are available in liquid formulations to enable flexible titration of the dose. Any advice to manufacturers about the need for new dosage strengths or forms for the SSRIs will be decided on the outcome of the review of the Committee on Safety of Medicines' expert working group.

Anti-depressants

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for elderly users;
	(2)  what conclusion the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants has reached on whether, irrespective of presumed benefits, the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour are different for young adults than for children;
	(3)  whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour in all representative age groups;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of whether the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect.

Rosie Winterton: The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.
	The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.
	The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

Anti-depressants

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the relationship between obesity and anti-depressant drug consumption.

Rosie Winterton: As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) continually monitor the safety of antidepressants. Both weight loss and weight gain have been reported in association with most selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and this is reflected in the product information for prescribers and patients. The MHRA and CSM are not aware of evidence linking SSRIs or other antidepressants specifically with obesity.

Anti-depressants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour (a) for elderly users and (b) in all age groups; and what assessment it has made of the level of risk of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for young adults;
	(2)  what research he has conducted on whether the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect.

Rosie Winterton: The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.
	The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.
	The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

Anti-depressants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess possible links between anti-depressant drug consumption and obesity.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport West (Mr Paul Flynn), above.

Anti-depressants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

Anti-depressants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether research indicates that the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect;
	(2)  whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for elderly users;
	(3)  what conclusion the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants has reached on whether, irrespective of presumed benefits, the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour are different for young adults than for children;
	(4)  whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour in all representative age groups.

Rosie Winterton: The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.
	The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.
	The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

Anti-depressants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

Anti-depressants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate a possible relationship between obesity and anti-depressant drug consumption.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

Anti-depressants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the manufacturers of Seroxat were permitted to market that product in a 30mg tablet size.

Rosie Winterton: Paroxetine is licensed in the dose range 1060 milligrams (mg.), depending on the indication. The recommended starting dose for all indications is 20 mg. and this was the subject of a reminder to prescribers in March 2004. Clinical experience is that some patients not responding to the recommended dose may benefit from having their dose increased. Changes in dosage should be made progressively according to individual response both at the beginning of treatment and at the end of treatment. The 30mg. tablet allows for flexibility in titration within the licensed dose range.

Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the Blackwater Valley and Hart Primary Care Trust.

Rosie Winterton: The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has responsibility for strategic planning of local health services. The SHA is working in partnership with local NHS organisations to consider how best the local NHS can focus the effort and increase the effectiveness of its leaders. As part of this work, it has been proposed at a local level that single integrated senior management teams will be established across clusters or pairs of primary care trusts (PCTs), allied to the on-going development of lead commissioning arrangements. I understand that this work will not affect the statutory duties of Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT and that the PCT will retain its focus on improving the health and well being of people within the local area.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nursing homes and (b) residential homes were found to be (i) in full compliance, (ii) in part compliance and (iii) not in compliance with the infection control standards set out in the national minimum standards for (A) older peoples' homes, (B) adult homes and (C) children's homes in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The National Minimum Standards do not have a standard exclusively for infection control. For older people and adults 18 to 65 the standards cover infection and hygiene control. For children's homes, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) considers infection and hygiene control under standard 26 which covers health, safety and security.
	The CSCI uses a four point marking system for assessing compliance with National Minimum Standards:
	1=standard not met
	2=standard almost met
	3=standard met
	4=standard exceeded
	I understand from the Chair of the CSCI that the figures for 200304 were as shown in the table.
	
		Year 2 (200304)
		
			  Score 
			 Establishment category 1 2 3 4 Total 
		
		
			 Older people's homesStandard 26: Hygiene and infection control 
			 Nursing  
			 Count 132 736 1,570 75 2,513 
			 Percentage 5.3 29.3 62.5 3.0 100.0 
			 Others  
			 Count 256 1,625 3,504 161 5,546 
			 Percentage 4.6 29.3 63.2 2.9 100.0 
			 Total 388 2,361 5,074 236 8,059 
			 Percentage 4.8 29.3 63.0 2.9 100.0 
			   
			 Younger adult's homesStandard 30: Hygiene 
			 Nursing  
			 Count 11 82 204 7 304 
			 Percentage 3.6 27.0 67.1 2.3 100.0 
			 Others  
			 Count 145 1,138 3,457 86 4,826 
			 Percentage 3.0 23.6 71.6 1.8 100.0 
			 Total 156 1,220 3,661 93 5,130 
			 Percentage 3.0 23.8 71.4 1.8 100.0 
			   
			 Children's homesStandard 26: Health/safety and security 
			 Count 143 520 555 17 1,235 
			 Percentage 11.6 42.1 44.9 1.4 100.0

Chemicals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of cancer research is targeted at the possible carcinogenic effects of chemicals in the environment; and how much funding has been spent on such research in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not available. However, the strategic analysis the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) published in October 2002 provides an overview of the 257 million a year of cancer research in the United Kingdom that is directly funded by the NCRI's 15 partner organisations. The analysis shows that investment in research into the causes of cancer attracted 16 per cent., of the total.
	The international cancer research portfolio database at www.cancerportfolio.org contains details of projects supported by cancer research funding organisations in the UK and the United States. Data submitted by the NCRI includes the research portfolios of its 15 partners, the largest Government and charitable funders of cancer research in the UK. The database can be searched by type of cancer, area of research, and funding organisation.

Crime Reduction Partnerships

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on when primary care trusts in England will have a statutory obligation, under the Police Reform Act 2002, to become responsible authorities with regard to crime reduction partnerships.

Melanie Johnson: Primary care trusts in England became statutory partners under the Police Reform Act 2002 as responsible authorities with regard to crime reduction partnerships from 30 April 2004.

Dentistry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time is for dental treatment in each of the prisons in Sussex.

Stephen Ladyman: The most recent returns made to the Department by the two prisons in Sussex indicate that a prisoner at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Ford who asked on 31 March 2004 to see a dentist would have had to wait one day for an urgent appointment and 30 days for a routine appointment. The corresponding figures for HMP Lewes were six and 30 days respectively.

Dentistry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have (a) started and (b) ceased to take NHS work for adults in the Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area in each of the last seven years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table. Dentists are counted in this reply as doing adult national health service dental work in a financial year if they receive some payment for work on adults in that year.
	
		General dental practitioners starting or ceasing NHS adult work in Adur Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area
		
			  Starting Ceasing(30) 
		
		
			 199697  17 
			 199798 8 6 
			 199899 13 11 
			 19992000 15 13 
			 200001 23 8 
			 200102 20 18 
			 200203 13 19 
			 200304 26  
		
	
	(30) Numbers ceasing in 200304 cannot be counted until payment for 200405 is available.
	Notes:
	1. A dentist is counted as starting in a financial year if payment is received in that year and if no payment is received in the previous year.
	2. Dentists are counted as ceasing work, if they receive no payment in a financial year but receive payment in the previous financial year. Dentists ceasing are counted in the last year of payment.
	3. The figures cover dentists working in the general dental service or personal dental service.

Dentistry

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children are not registered with a NHS dentist in Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not available in the form requested.
	39,000 children aged under 18 were registered with a general dental service practice in the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) area on 31 March 2004.
	Some of the children registered will be resident outside the PCT area. Similarly, some children from the area will be registered with dentists who practice outside the area.
	The population estimate for Shropshire County PCT is 61,000 children under the age of 18. The difference between the population estimate and registration number is 22,000. However, it should be noted that registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months. Registrations will exclude patients who have not been to their general dental service (CDS) dentist within the past 15 months and patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services. It should also be noted that the figures do not include patients attending the dental access centres which opened during the period and whose patients are not registered.
	NHS dental services are also provided by the community dental service, personal dental service, salaried service of the CDS and the hospital dental service. These services do not require the patient to be registered with a dentist before treatment.

Dentistry

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population he estimates have mercury-based amalgam fillings; and what quantity of mercury this represents.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 June 2004
	The adult dental health survey, which covered those aged 16 years and over in the United Kingdom in 1988, reported that 88 per cent. of dentate adults had at least one amalgam filled surface. This represents about 77 per cent. of all adults (dentate and edentate) aged 16 and over. It is estimated that an amalgam filling comprises between 40 per cent. and 50 per cent. mercury.

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions (a) he and (b) senior civil servants at the Department have had with (i) the Treasury and (ii) the Department for Education and Skills regarding the NHS dental workforce review.

Rosie Winterton: Discussions have taken place in the last month between officials at the Department for Education and Skills, the Department of Health and Her Majesty's Treasury about increasing dental workforce capacity.

Departmental Annual Report

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the numbers of elective admissions from 199899 to 200102 inclusive given in Figure 7.1 of the Departmental Annual Report 2004 differ from those reported in the 2003 annual report.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 June 2004
	The reports reflect how activity is changing as the national health service modernises. Figures for elective admissions are re-based to account for the latest definitions and improvements in hospital recording practices. This re-basing enables like with like comparisons to be made across the years.
	In figure 7.1 of the 2004 departmental annual report, elective admissions figures for earlier years have been re-based to be directly comparable with the 200203 activity figures. Similarly, in the 2003 report, figures for earlier years were directly comparable to the 200102 activity figures.

Departmental Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total amount paid by his Department to employment agencies for the supply of temporary staff was in financial year 200304.

Rosie Winterton: The total amount paid by the Department for contract staff and employment agencies in the financial year 200304 was 15,184,000. The amount paid to employment agencies for the supply of temporary staff is not kept separately.

Diabetes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce screening for type two diabetes; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has been asked to advise on the most effective policy for screening for Type 2 diabetes. It will report to the Department in 2005.

Drug Rehabilitation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on drug rehabilitation in Gloucestershire in each of the last three years; and how much was allocated to local drug action teams.

Rosie Winterton: The pooled drug treatment budget allocation for Gloucestershire this year is 2,070,000.
	Information is not collected centrally on total expenditure on drug rehabilitation.
	Expenditure on drug action teams by primary care trust (PCT) is collected and is shown in the table.
	
		200203
		
			 PCT 000 
		
		
			 South Gloucestershire 512 
			 Cheltenham and Tewkesbury 82 
			 West Gloucestershire 0 
			 Cotswold and Vale 0 
			   
			 Total 594 
		
	
	Sources:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the above PCTs 200203.

Emergency Readmissions

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has routinely to publish rates of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge for patients aged 75 years or over.

Stephen Ladyman: We have no plans to routinely publish this information.

Endometriosis

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place to raise awareness of endometriosis amongst health professionals.

Melanie Johnson: We are determined to improve the awareness of endometriosis and are providing funding to the National Endometriosis Society (NES) and the Endometriosis SHE (Simply Holistic Endometriosis) Trust through the Section 64 general grants scheme to help achieve this. We have provided 39,000 to NES to produce two information leaflets. One leaflet for women to encourage those with symptoms to discuss with their general practitioner (GP) and another for GPs to highlight the symptoms and refer women for investigation and treatment.

Fluoridation

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors underlay the decision to indemnify water companies from liabilities arising from water fluoridation;
	(2)  to what extent indemnity applies to the NHS authorities that may require private water companies to fluoridate their water supply.

Melanie Johnson: Fluoridation is a public health intervention which water companies implement on behalf of strategic health authorities. The Water Fluoridation Act (1985) first made provision for the Secretary of State for Health to indemnify water undertakers because of the importance attached to the benefits fluoridation brings to dental health. Although there is no evidence of risks to health from fluoridation, it has been the policy of successive governments that the burden of any liabilities should be borne by the Crown, rather than by health authorities or the suppliers of the fluoridated water.

Food Supplements Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide support to the legal challenge mounted by the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores to the food supplements directive.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) on 3 March 2004, Official Report, columns 102324W.

Foundation Trust Status

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts are developing, but have not yet submitted, preliminary applications for the establishment of NHS foundation trusts.

John Hutton: The Department has not yet invited preliminary applications for the next wave of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). An independent review of NHSFTs is to be undertaken by the Healthcare Commission. We expect to make an announcement about the timing of the review and its terms of reference shortly, together with an announcement about the timing of the next cohort of NHSFT applications as part of wave two.

Foundation Trust Status

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of preliminary applications for NHS foundation trust status have been successful in passing through to the preparatory phase.

John Hutton: Of the 51 eligible national health service acute and specialist trusts, 32 submitted preliminary applications for NHS foundation trust status in February 2003 as part of wave one. Of these, three trusts later chose to defer from wave one. In May 2003, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, invited 29 trusts to begin their preparatory application for his approval later that year.
	Of the 38 eligible NHS trusts, 32 submitted preliminary applications in September 2003 as part of wave 1A. In November 2003, all 32 trusts were invited to begin their preparatory application. The Department has not yet invited preliminary applications for wave two.

Free Eye Tests (Manchester, Central)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many residents in Manchester Central aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests;
	(2)  how many senior citizens in Manchester Central have access to free eye tests.

Melanie Johnson: Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of senior citizens is not collected centrally.
	The total number of national health service sight tests paid for by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority in 200203 for patients in the aged 60 and over category was 189,900. The total number eligible for a free sight test for those aged 60 and over was 493,100. Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients.

Health Services (Rochdale)

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the numbers of NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses in Rochdale parliamentary constituency in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Imaging Tests

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many imaging and radiodiagnostics examinations and tests were carried out in the NHS (a) without intervention and (b) with intervention (i) in total, (ii) in imaging departments and (iii) in other departments in each year since 1997, broken down by (A) CT, (B) MRI, (C) obstetric ultrasound, (D) non-obstetric ultrasound, (E) radioisotopes, (F) radiographs with no fluoroscopy and (G) fluoroscopy.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's targets are on the provision of single sex accommodation for mental health inpatients; and how many mental health trusts meet those targets.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
	The Department set a target for the achievement of each of these objectives in 95 per cent. of NHS trusts by December 2002. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 24WS.
	Compliance with the objectives is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts. Levels of compliance have continued to rise. By December 2003:
	99 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided single-sex sleeping accommodation for planned admissions and have robust operational policies in place to protect patients' privacy and dignity;
	99 per cent. of all NHS trusts met the additional criteria set to ensure the safety of patients who are mentally ill; and
	97 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided properly segregated bathroom and toilet facilities for men and women.
	The small number of NHS trusts which have yet to achieve the objectives have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill which are intended to safeguard patients' privacy and dignity as set out in Safety, Policy and Dignity in mental health units (DoH 2000).

Rosie Winterton: In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
	Safety, privacy and dignity in mental health units was published in 2000 to reinforce earlier guidance on the delivery of the Department's objectives. It should be read in conjunction with Modernising Mental Health Services and the national service framework for mental health. It is for NHS trusts to determine how best to ensure the safety, privacy and dignity of patients, in view of differing local circumstances.
	By December 2003, 99 per cent. of all NHS trusts had met the objective to provide safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.
	The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how mental health patients' experience of being treated in hospital is used to inform (a) local and (b) national policies on the provision of facilities which ensure good standards of privacy and dignity.

Rosie Winterton: The Department considers the issue of patients' privacy and dignity to be of paramount importance.
	Every national health service hospital is routinely inspected by patient environment action teams, which were first established in 2000 to help drive up standards of cleanliness and tidiness across the NHS. As part of their visit, these teams also review patient privacy and dignity to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained. The Healthcare Commission also assess this aspect of patient care during the completion of their clinical governance reviews.
	It is for NHS trusts to determine what use is made at a local level of the feedback from these inspection processes. At a national level, feedback from patients and carers is used in the review and revision of guidance on the achievement of single-sex accommodation to ensure that hospitals are providing an environment which meets patients' needs and expectations.

Mental Health

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of funding for mental health services is for the current financial year; and how much it was in 199798.

Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to estimate the level of funding for mental health services in 199798.
	The NHS Plan announced an extra annual investment of over 300 million by 200304 to fast-forward the national service framework for mental health.
	For the latest round of allocations for 200304 to 200506, none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes.
	It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Methylsulfonylmethane

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane for arthritis symptoms.

Stephen Ladyman: The Food Standards Agency has not made any assessment of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) for arthritis symptoms.
	In the United Kingdom, MSM is sold in dietary supplements marketed under food law. Food supplements, like other foods, are not required to demonstrate their efficacy before marketing, nor are they subject to prior approval unless they are genetically modified or novel as defined in Regulation (EC) 258/97 on novel foods and novel food ingredients.
	Food supplements are, however, subject to the general provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. The Food Safety Act makes it an offence to sell food that is falsely or misleadingly described or labelled. The Food Labelling Regulations prohibit any food, including a food supplement, from making a claim that it has the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease or any reference, on the label, to such a property.

MRSA

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the breakdown of expenditure on MRSA research proposed by the Department.

Melanie Johnson: The Department last year commissioned a 2.5 million strategic programme of research aimed at improving scientific understanding of antimicrobial resistance. 590,000 of that total sum will be spent on projects that will provide useful information relating to best practice in preventing methicillin-resistant Straphylococcus aureus.

Myeloma

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the treatment and management of myeloma after diagnosis is effective;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to ensure equity of access to treatment and care for myeloma throughout the UK, with particular reference to new drugs and techniques that are not National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved.

Melanie Johnson: Where a drug or technology has not been appraised or is awaiting appraisal by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), it will be for the clinicians and the funding authorities concerned to decide, in consultation with patients, whether that treatment is appropriate for an individual patient.
	In 2003, NICE published Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers. The guidance makes recommendations to the national health service on the organisation of cancer services for people with haematological cancer, including myeloma, in England and Wales. The recommendations set out in the guidance will be translated into a series of measures against which cancer networks will be peer reviewed. This will provide a mechanism to ensure the guidance is being implemented.
	The Department has also issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks. The guidance addresses myeloma. The referral guidelines are currently being reviewed by NICE and the updated guidelines are due to be published in March 2005.
	In addition, myeloma patients will also benefit from the measures set out in the NHS cancer plan to improve services across the board for cancer patients.

Myeloma

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of whether delays are occurring in the diagnosis of myeloma;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the two-week wait rule on the management of suspected myeloma.

Melanie Johnson: A two-week outpatient waiting time standard was introduced for urgently referred cases of suspected haematological cancers from December 2000. In the last quarter, January to March 2004, 99 per cent. of urgently referred patients with suspected haematological cancer were seen within two weeks of urgent referral. We have issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks, those patients that can be referred for a routine appointment and those who can be safely watched at a primary care level. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently reviewing the referral guidelines.
	The referral guidelines should be used to agree local referral criteria and referral pathways. All trusts have been encouraged to undertake local audit to assess the impact of the two-week wait on local services and to enable the appropriateness of urgent and routine referrals against the guidelines to be fed back to referring GPs.
	Data is not collected centrally on the time taken to reach a diagnosis of myeloma. No assessment has been made nationally on whether there are delays in diagnosis.

Nappies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has received a written request from the Nappy Alliance seeking a meeting to discuss policy and practice in the use of nappies within NHS facilities.

Stephen Ladyman: No written request has been received from the Nappy Alliance seeking a meeting to discuss policy and practice in the use of nappies within National Health Service facilities.

Nappies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of information concerning reusable nappies in maternity units.

Stephen Ladyman: No assessment has been made centrally of the availability of information concerning reusable nappies in maternity units. We ensure that women are given information on both disposable and reusable nappies in the Pregnancy Book and Birth to Five so that they can make an informed choice.

New National Network

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the New National Network will be extended to (a) all sites offering services to NHS patients, including independent health providers and (b) community pharmacies.

John Hutton: It is planned that over time, all organisations delivering national health service services to patients will have access to NHS care record services and the NHS national network, including independent health providers and community pharmacies.
	The initial implementation of the national network in 200405 will be to NHS trusts and general practitioner practices, all of which have existing NHSnet connections. The provision of services under the new national network to independent health providers and community pharmacies will take place in the later phases. This will be subject to an assessment of the requirements for connectivity and ensuring compliance with appropriate standards to protect the confidentiality, security and consistency of patient data.

NHS Patients (Privacy and Dignity)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities in the NHS was when the Patients' Charter was first published; what the standard is now; and how many mental health trusts have met this standard.

Rosie Winterton: The Patient's Charter, published in 1995, states that:
	In all cases, you can expect single sex washing and toilet facilities.
	In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all National Health Service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
	The objective in relation to bathroom and washing facilities requires trusts to:
	achieve fully the Patient's Charter standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the NHS.
	By December 2003, 97 per cent. of all NHS trusts had met this standard. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.
	The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works underway, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

NHS Patients (Privacy and Dignity)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisational arrangements which (a) NHS trusts and (b) mental health trusts are expected to have in place to ensure good standards of privacy and dignity for patients; and how many mental health trusts have these arrangements in place.

Rosie Winterton: In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing in-patient accommodation.
	The organisational arrangements which NHS trusts are expected to have in place were published in August 1998 in the form of an audit checklist. The audit checklist provides a framework which can be adapted to suit the needs of each individual trust according to their particular circumstances. The audit checklist is contained in Enhancing privacy and dignity: achieving single sex accommodation, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	By December 2003, 99 per cent., of all NHS trusts had met the objective to ensure that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to ensure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.
	The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

NHS Treatment Statistics

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes in NHS hospitals in England there were for each year from 1991 to 2003.

John Hutton: holding answer 14 June 2004
	The table shows finished consultant episodes (FCEs) from national health service hospitals in England. Data are from 199091 to 200203.
	
		 millions
		
			 Financial Year FCEs 
		
		
			 199091 8.81 
			 199192 9.38 
			 199293 9.68 
			 199394 10.14 
			 199495 10.55 
			 199596 11.07 
			 199697 11.14 
			 199798 11.54 
			 199899 12.11 
			 19992000 12.30 
			 200001 12.47 
			 200102 12.35 
			 200203 12.76 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 200102 and 200203, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	2. A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	3. The above figures include inpatient data for both ordinary admissions and day cases.

Obesity-related Sleep Apnoea

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes to treat obesity-related sleep apnoea there were in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The table as follows gives information on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for sleep related apnoea from the financial year 199697 onwards.
	Obesity related sleep apnoea
	ICD10 primary diagnosis G47.3 (sleep apnoea) with secondary mention E66 (obesity)
	FCEs National Health Service hospitals in England, 199697 to 200203
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199697 507 
			 199798 577 
			 199899 594 
			 19992000 529 
			 20002001 703 
			 20012002 707 
			 20022003 1,102 
		
	
	Notes:
	Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 200203) diagnosis field in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	FCE
	A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Grossing
	Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 200102 and 200203 which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics (HES) Department of Health
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) and other local stakeholders are responsible for assessing the health needs of their populations, including those with sleep disorders, and commissioning services to meet those needs. Sleep services therefore, should be provided as part of the overall service package that PCTs and other local stakeholders develop for their local populations.

Orlistat

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of orlistat were dispensed in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996.

Rosie Winterton: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		Number of prescription items of Orlistat that have been prescribed in GP practices in England and dispensed in the community.
		
			 Year (thousands) 
		
		
			 1999 127.2 
			 2000 155.7 
			 2001 414.9 
			 2002 540.2 
			 2003 484.2 
		
	
	
		Strategic health authority (SHA)
		
			 SHA in which Orlistat prescribed 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 17.7 17.0 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 15.4 13.2 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 24.1 23.1 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 31.1 28.0 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 16.2 15.3 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 24.3 21.1 
			 Essex 13.6 10.8 
			 Greater Manchester 37.3 36.7 
			 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight 17.1 16.1 
			 Kent and Medway 20.0 17.6 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 15.8 13.9 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 20.1 17.2 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 19.6 18.6 
			 North Central London 10.4 10.1 
			 North East London 13.9 11.9 
			 North West London 14.9 12.8 
			 Northumberland Tyne and Wear 20.2 18.9 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 19.4 15.5 
			 Somerset and Dorset 7.2 5.9 
			 South East London 16.1 14.3 
			 South West London 10.6 9.8 
			 South West Peninsula 15.4 11.8 
			 South Yorkshire 18.6 18.3 
			 Surrey and Sussex 25.1 21.1 
			 Thames Valley 16.3 14.8 
			 Trent 33.9 29.1 
			 West Midlands South 18.0 15.8 
			 West Yorkshire 27.9 25.6 
			 England Total 540.2 484.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. This information was obtained from the prescribing analysis and cost (PACT) system, which covers prescriptions prescribed by GP practices in England and dispensed in the community. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Prescriptions written within a GP practice but dispensed outside the SHA will be included in the SHA in which the GP practice is based. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data.
	2. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
	3. Orlistat is defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.5 Drugs used in the treatment of obesity.
	4. Data in the table are presented in thousands.
	5. The sum of all SHAs does noi: equal the total England figure, because the total England figure includes unidentified doctors (those it is not possible for the Prescription Pricing Authority to allocate to a primary care trust).

Prescriptions

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to prevent contra-indication prescription errors when electronic prescriptions are introduced.

John Hutton: There is growing United Kingdom and international evidence that appropriate use of information technology can help significantly reduce human error in the use of paper records. Securing this important benefit is one of the key objectives of the national health service national programme for IT (NPfIT).
	Electronic prescribing will be a service provided as part of the NHS care records service (CRS) that is being implemented through the NPflT. Decision support systems that include functionality to warn clinicians of possible contra-indications when prescribing are already in use in many parts of the NHS, but will be provided to all prescribing clinicians through the NHS CRS.
	NHS pharmacists also use their professional expertise to warn patients and their fellow clinicians of possible contra-indications when dispensing drugs and medicines. The introduction of electronic prescribing within the NPflT will not change this important role.

Radiographers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) headcount and (b) whole-time equivalent medical staff were employed by the NHS in clinical radiology (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) consultant, (B) non-consultant grade, (C) doctors in training and (D) hospital practitioner/clinical assistant in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical staff within the clinical radiology specialty by gradeEngland at 30 September -- numbers (headcount)
		
			  All staff Consultant Non-consultant career grade Doctors in training Hospital practitioner/clinical assistant Other community health service staff 
		
		
			 1997 2,014 1,442 12 521 39  
			 1998 2,075 1,481 15 541 38  
			 1999 2,164 1,507 21 605 31  
			 2000 2,303 1,585 28 655 35  
			 2001 2,454 1,645 33 743 32 1 
			 2002 2,538 1,702 29 774 32 1 
			 2003 2,693 1,810 38 818 27  
		
	
	
		whole-time equivalents
		
			  All staff Consultant Non-consultant career grade Doctors in training Hospital practitioner/clinical assistant Other community health service staff 
		
		
			 1997 1,895 1,364 8 507 16  
			 1998 1,935 1,387 11 524 13  
			 1999 2,028 1,414 16 587 10  
			 2000 2,134 1,460 21 639 13  
			 2001 2,256 1,492 22 729 11 1 
			 2002 2,371 1,582 22 754 11 1 
			 2003 2,505 1,669 28 799 9  
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	The number of headcount and whole-time equivalent staff in clinical radiology has increased by 34 per cent. and 32 per cent. respectively since September 1997.

Retinal Screening

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diabetes sufferers received annual retinal screening in the latest year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The latest figures show that, in 200304, 53 per cent. of those people identified with diabetes in England received screening for the early detection, and treatment where necessary, of diabetic retinopathy.

Working Time Directive

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in his Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Thirty employees in the Department have signed an opt-out agreement under the working time regulations. None of the Department's employees are exempt from the working time regulations. The Department is aware of the particular business areas where staff regularly work close to or surpass the forty-eight hours per week limit and keeps this under review.
	The Department is committed to reducing the number of employees who are required to work in excess of forty-eight hours per week to the absolute minimum.